


Of Gods and Men

by noxiousSanctity



Series: Shklance AU's [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, Demigod AU, Dragons, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, God this is gonna be weird, Keith is emo, Lance is a mermaid, M/M, PTSD, Shiro's pov this time around, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-08-19 04:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 45,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8190649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxiousSanctity/pseuds/noxiousSanctity
Summary: Shiro has never been sent on a quest before but the adventure that reveals itself to him to find two other demigods that are both dangerous and rare, it seems he's the only one to really be up to the task of bringing them all together.





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Fuck me man I had to rewrite the first chapter like thirty times m8 I hope this gets easier with time

Shiro was not someone who was easily fazed at the ripe old age of 21. After discovering his godly parentage after almost dying, there really wasn't anything else that could shock (ha) the son of Zeus, Jupiter, whatever he felt like that day. He was a praetor at a place called New Rome. It was previously two separate camps, one Greek and one Rome, but they just merged, now having two campuses to settle. Shiro preferred San Francisco bay. It was quiet.

 

Quiet, that is, until Hunk Akeakamai, Son of Hephaestus/Vulcan slammed open his cabin door with a cry of “THE ORACLE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!”

 

Shiro has never choked on tea before in his life, thank you. Today was just an exception. He whipped around to look at Hunk, who was breathing heavily with a bunch of scrap metal in his arms, purple shirt stained with orange letters. Pidge, child of Minerva, was peeking their head around Hunk, fixing their glasses. “It's true. Allura called out your name.”

 

Shiro pulled himself up from his seat, pulling his shirt down with a confused little fumble. His eight years being a part of this place and he had never _once_ been put on a quest. Granted, it had helped him graduate high school and get to the piloting program of Galaxy Garrison, but it was kind of… disappointing. He often found himself stressing if he was even _worthy_ of being on a quest. What if he wasn't as much a son of Zeupiter if he had thought? It kept him up at night sometimes, but he didn't let it deter him.

 

Well, not too much. He eagerly got dressed in his praetor robes and rushed out, where a lot of people looked at him with wide eyes as he raced to the Oracle's house. The other Praetor also held the title of Oracle, if not just because no one could match Shiro both in a fight and in a debate like Allura, daughter of Hecate and Granddaughter of Venus. She was quite the package.

 

She had already opened the door for him, and as he raced in, she grabbed him by the shoulders, eyes wide. “It happened.” She breathed. “I went to sleep last night, and a quest for you appeared on my arms!” She squeezed him tightly, and he felt his back pop as she released him. “This is exciting. I haven't had the chance to read them yet. But I want to. Are you ready?” She was already pulling off the long gloves that went nearly up to her elbow, delicate arms full of power flipping over to show light blue script that slowly faded into black, barely visible on her skin.

 

_A child of Zeus will go alone on his quest_

 

_To reap two lost children of realms not possessed._

 

_One who’s never walked land and has only seen sun._

 

_He dwells in the place where ice overruns._

 

_The second you seek hides away in the night._

 

_Where darkness is simple, in the city of lights._

 

_And once they are found, a new bond begins_

 

_One that will tie together all loose ends._

 

_The winter solstice is the extent of your time._

 

_Or corpses instead of people will be all to find._

 

“Jesus.” Shiro breathed. “Did it come with any, you know, _instructions?_ Like take a left at Albuquerque? Are all of the quests you've handed out been like this?”

 

Allura frowned at him, icy white hair pulled in a bun and strange coloured eyes narrowed. “Well, Shiro, I’m only the messenger. I’m not quite sure how any of this is supposed to work. But we can take apart context clues and figure out exactly what it's trying to say.”

 

 _English major. Right._ Shiro nodded, and he quickly wrote down what the prophecy said on a tablet, studying the words curiously (they got rid of scrolls years ago, thank gods.) Allura pulled her gloves back on and sat down next to him. “Okay. So most quests are in groups of three, right? So the first part is easy.” Shiro nodded as Allura added notes to the sides of the passage. “I’m not sure what the 'two realms not possessed’ means. You don't possess _any_ realms at all whatsoever.”

 

“...Maybe it's a metaphor?” Shiro supplied half-heartedly.

 

“I wish this was the fault in our stars, Shiro, but I'm assuming it means literal. Like literal realms.” The door opened and Pidge entered, glasses bright as their eyes as they peeked at the tablet. “Ah! Pidge! Come here, we need you.”

 

“I’m flattered, Allura. Truly.” Pidge plopped down in another chair, scooting towards them eagerly. “Is this the prophecy?” Shiro nodded and passed the tablet over to them. “Wow. Cryptic much.” They studied it for a little bit before their eyebrows rose. “You're on a quest by yourself to find a kid of Poseidon and a kid of Hades? That's wild.”

 

Shiro and Allura shared a look. “What?”

 

Pidge looked at them curiously. “Two realms, right? Shiro, your dad controls the skies. None of the other Olympians control any realm physically except for Poseidon, though Hades technically didn't count, that one kid got him added to the group. So… yeah. A kid of Poseidon and a kid of Hades.” Pidge looked over it more, Allura watching them with a tiny smile in her eyes, pointedly ignoring Shiro's smug look.

 

 _Smitten_ , he mouthed. Allura kicked him from under the table.

 

“So the places, I have no idea.” Pidge mumbled, slightly irritated that they didn't know, their fingers tapping rapidly on the screen. “But-Ha! City of lights is Paris, France!” They turned the screen to the elder two and sure enough, the Eiffel tower gleamed under the conspicuous header. They only got a moment to watch the lights twinkle when Pidge turned the tablet back. “I’m not sure where the place overrun with ice is, or where the sun is always shining. I’d _like_ to say Antarctica. It's cold as fuck there, but that doesn't fit the sun thing.”

 

“Didn't the prophecy say that if they weren't found by the winter solstice, then they'd be dead?” Allura frowned. “Maybe the one in Antarctica would be frozen to death.”

 

None of them spoke for a moment at that thought. To find a body, lying in ice cold water with wide eyes would not be something any of them could shake off.

 

“I...hope that doesn't happen.” Shiro managed to get out, running a hand through his hair. “The winter solstice is in-”

 

“-Thirteen days.” Allura finished for him, eyes grave. “So essentially, you're going to have to cross an entire ocean to find one demigod, then cross over a continent to find another.”

 

“But the other way around.” Pidge supplied helpfully.” You have to go in order.”

 

Shiro groaned. “So. Antartica? Where in Antartica?”

 

Pidge was already on it, fingers moving like a mirage on the piece of metal. “He’s only ever seen sun. No night?” Allura slammed her hand on the table so loudly Pidge jumped.

 

“Fairbanks, Alaska!” She cried out. “Midnight sun! Of course!” When both Shiro and Pidge looked at her in confusion, she blushed softly. “Uh. Midnight sun is the phenomenon when the sun dips but never fully sets except for on the winter solstice. The most known place for that is in Fairbanks, Alaska, just south of the arctic circle.” Shiro felt himself relax. Thank the gods. Alaska was _way_ closer.

 

“So essentially…” Pidge smirked. “You better bundle the fuck up.” They stood and walked over to Shiro, side hugging him. “After Hunk was told to find you, he went straight back to Vulcan cabin. He's got some stuff for you.”

* * *

 

 

Shiro, to be honest, never really liked stepping into the Vulcan cabin. It was loud and noisy and they had prosthetics everywhere of everything. It made him slightly squeamish, as if he were simply a test subject to try things on.

 

When Hunk slammed into him, lifting him up much like how Allura did, he groaned. “Oh man, Shiro I’m so excited for you.” Hunk was slightly soaking his praetor robes, but Shiro honestly couldn't bring himself to care. Hunk had already been on a quest with two other demigods, a kid of Apollo and a kid of Mercury. They were the ones who actually brought back Pidge all those years ago, with a little spider on her shoulder named Rover.

 

Yes, Minerva kids were usually _terrified_ of spiders. But Pidge never had been. Rover instead of biting her, just chilled there like nobody's business. The two of them got their own place to settle down, all others giving them such a wide berth it was almost hysterical. Almost.

 

Hunk began to pull him through the cabin, down the stairs to the underground rooms and into his own. Hunk's room was startlingly clean compared to the rest of the Vulcan kids. Work tools hung up meticulously on the walls, projects were carefully tucked away in boxes, and the only thing really messy about him was the untucked corner of his bed on the side of the room. All in all, it was impressive.

 

“Okay. So I talked to Shay from Hecate cabin-” Shiro could see the blush rising in Hunk's cheeks. “And she helped me out with something for you.” He pulled out a… hoodie. Hunk must have seen the look on his face because he kept talking. “This will change to the temperature. I was originally going to give this to you for your birthday, but this is a more appropriate time, I guess. Also!” Hunk started rummaging through his stuff again, pulling out a small little chip. “For your arm. It's an upgrade.”

 

Shiro blinked. After the incident where Shiro lost his arm, Hunk had worked day and night to make him a new appendage. After all, he still saw it as his fault it happened. Shiro's mechanical hand whirred slightly at that, the celestial silver (very hard to find, even harder to manipulate into anything) seamless and perfect, glowing the soft purple of the praetor shirt. “Hunk.” His voice was soft, and the almost panicked look on the large guy's face almost had him pause. “You've already done so much for me. This is enough.”

 

Hunk looked away, guilt still apparently eating at him for what happened all those years ago. “It's not enough. I would have died if it weren't for you.”

 

Shiro couldn't disagree, say he wouldn't have, but still. “The point is that it’s fine. I’ll take the upgrade, but it's not your responsibility to feel guilty about something you couldn't control.”

 

Hunk said nothing, but his eyes were red. It still bothered him.

 

Shiro couldn't blame him.

* * *

 

 

_Hunk was fourteen when they got him to camp, wide eyed and new to the mainland, living in Oahu most of his life. He was shy, and easily bullied, and it was only a matter of time before one of the Ares kids pushed a little too far._

 

_“No no, please don't!” Hunk cried out, a short but large kid at the time. Someone had figured out that he was afraid of dogs and word had spread fast. So they decided to throw him in with the resident three headed dog, who had not been properly trained yet. “Please! Please! Stop! I don't know what I did!”_

 

_The son of Ares, a mean boy with white hair and almost yellow eyes named Lotor, grinned wickedly at him. “You’re weak.” He snarled. “That's what you did.”_

 

_Hunk was about to protest again, but the sound of claws clicking on the floor made him stiffen, raw fear pushing through his body and making cold sweat drip down his back. He turned oh so slightly, eyes wide._

 

_The Dog, Kerberos, watched him darkly, red eyes gleaming and drool dripping from all three of its mouths. It was a muscular dog, looked like a pitbull doberman mix, eyes narrowed down at the son of Vulcan. “N-nice doggy…” he wheezed softly. “G-good doggy.” He tried to press himself against the cage, doing his best to be very quiet._

 

_Shiro had only been walking by, ready to go to bed. It was late, very late at night when he heard cruel laughter echo through the woods near them. Curious, he stepped through the trees, body growing cold at what he saw._

 

_Lotor was watching Hunk stand in the cage with the three headed dog, who Lotor was in charge of feeding for the week._

 

_Feeding. “LOTOR!” Shiro ripped himself through the trees right to where the two demigods were. Lotor ripped around, eyes wide as Shiro propelled to where they were, wind pushing him past him and to the door. He managed to rip the door open and with his left hand yanked Hunk out of harm's way, not even registering the jaw that snapped shut around his right arm until the dog pulled away, and pain ripped up his right side._

 

_“Hunk.” Shiro wheezed, breathing heavy. His world was spinning, and for some reason his right side was wet. “Are you okay?”_

 

_Instead of answering, Hunk had screamed._

* * *

 

 

“Shiro!” he jolted at his name being called, blinking owlishly at Hunk, who looked worried. “You blanked out for a second. Are you okay?”

 

Shiro nodded weakly. “Yeah. Just. I’m fine.” Hunk nodded warily, working on applying the chip update to Shiro's arm, sliding it into Shiro's wrist and watching as his arm flashed brightly for a moment before dulling to the quiet lavender hue. “Thank you, Hunk. Really.”

 

Hunk smiled softly. “Of course, Shiro.” He pulled back and clapped Shiro's shoulder. “Let's grab some of the food packs and then we can send you on your way!”

 

Shiro nodded, face warm. “Of course. Let's go.”

* * *

 

It was early evening when the four of them stood at the edge of the camp, Shiro smiling at the other three nervously. “So. Bye, then. I should be back for Christmas.”

 

Pidge punched him in the shoulder. “You better be. Your birthday is new year's.” Hunk laughed wetly, hugging him close before removing himself, hands loosely at their sides. “We’ll see you soon.”

  
Shiro smiled at them before turning to Allura, who simply smiled. “I’ll hold down the fort until my brave other praetor comes back.” That made Shiro laugh as he slowly felt the winds tickling his scalp, helping him rise up into the air, waving before commanding the winds to propel him forward, the people he loved soon becoming no more than a blur on the green expanse of earth. “Here we go.” Shiro said softly, closing his eyes and embracing the sting of his cheeks from the air as he sped through the night, city lights beneath him sparkling.


	2. Shiro Learns about snow and pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro makes it to Fairbanks, Alaska. And almost dies. But hey, he meets the demigod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Much thanks to miss EternalWinterSleep for telling me about what turned out to be their hometown! They gave me a lot of good information and I'm glad I got to use some of it. I did some research into the myths in Alaska and the Native American myths were very interesting. Hope you guys like it!

When Shiro saw a sign that said _Fairbanks, Alaska_ covered in snow and icicles, he landed with a groan, slapping his reddened cheeks frozen from both the altitude and the _freezing_ temperature that blanketed the town. The hoodie Hunk had given him graciously warmed and expanded the colder it got, eventually turning into a black parka with dark grey faux fur lining the inside of the hoodie. He pulled it over his head, wishing he had a scarf on hand as he stepped into the city.

 

It took two days for him to fly there, including breaks, sleeping, and an unfortunate run in with a Cyclops that thought he was one of his lost demon chickens, because of the white fluff of hair on his forehead. Luckily he was able to _nope_ right out of the situation, flying far away from that problem.

 

And now he was in a snowy wonderland he'd only ever imagined. It doesn't snow in California, Period. Hardly any rain even graces them and they're constantly in a drought. But here, he might drown in frozen rain. He steps onto a street and immediately he falls face first onto the ground, barely managing to roll away from breaking his nose. He groaned and tried to stand up, barely managing. The streets were completely covered in ice. Shiro felt like an idiot carefully trying to blend in with the mortals, taking ever so gentle and cautious steps, watching the people who lived there take long strides as if it were nothing.

 

He finally made his way to a Starbucks, and ordered a grande hot chocolate, sitting at the window and staring in awe at all the snow that was falling and piling up. It was incredible. He heard stories about Allura's father taking her to a place similar in Russia, and he took a sip of his drink.

 

Now that he was here, he realised that he had absolutely no idea where to start. He didn't know where to go to find any demigod safe places, and there was no way he could ask anyone “ _Hey, excuse me, but have you seen a kid of Poseidon loitering around the nearest aquarium?”_

 

Did they even have an aquarium here?

 

Shiro scowled and took another sip of his drink, pulling his parka hoodie down so that he wouldn't overheat. What did the demigod even _look_ like? Was he tall, short, large, tiny, what? The only thing he was sure of was that it was a he. Finishing his drink, he decided to find a hotel for the night, tossing his empty container into the trash on his way out.

 

And barely stopping himself from stumbling over the ice. “Come _on_.” Shiro grumbled, dragging a hand down his face as he took hesitant steps once again, watching in awe as some people even began skating on the ice in the streets.

* * *

 

  


The hotel was called Pike's Waterfront Lodge, and Shiro counted himself lucky that his job had given him plenty of money. The room was tiny, but cozy, and it had free wi-fi and a nice Tv. Not that Shiro watched a lot of it. He found the only things on TV were the Presidential election and sex scandals. Not the kind of stuff he was there for.

 

He flopped down on the bed, putting his backpack on the side of the table by the window. Flying really took a lot out of him, but he figured he should start looking for clues on where his _'mystery-demigod_ ’ would be. He walked over to his desk and pulled out his laptop, plugging in the charger and connecting to the internet. He stared at the Google letters, eyebrows furrowed. What was he supposed to look up.

 

Shrugging, he decided to look up _Fairbanks Alaska Myths_ and scan through those. He saw a show once that had only solidified his belief that research was an important part of any questions. ( _“No, Pidge, Sam Winchester is a good role model. Besides the demon blood drinking and… losing his soul and… all of that. Research is important!”_ ) He read through all of them, about the Qalupalik, the Keeluts, Tizheruk, Adlet, and the Tornit. He winced at the half dog half men, but the story of snake men had him interested. He clicked on a list of sightings, and he smiled slightly as he saw they all seemed to be in the same place.

 

“The Peninsula Clarion?”

* * *

 

  


It was a beach. In December. Shiro stepped towards the deserted water, watching the waves lap at the shore with a curious look. Being near any large body of water had always made him queasy and nervous, and this was no exception. It almost reached his sneakers, the water. That was as close as he wanted to go.

 

Knowing that in order to find this person, he had to go deeper. With a heavy sigh, he took a step forward, surprised at the slightly warm water. _The currents_ , Shiro reasoned as he took another step. His ankles were soaked by the time he got close enough to the water that he could really see anything. The water was a pretty colour, almost not threatening. Almost. “Come on.” He murmured, willing himself to be strong. “It's just a little bit of water.”

 

He managed to take a few strides into the water, instincts warning him that it was a _bad_ idea, that this wasn't his domain of power. He could get swept away from the earth in a heartbeat, drown and nobody would know until the winter solstice at the earliest. He felt himself cave, beginning to rise up into the air to try and watch from the skies.

 

When something wrapped around his ankle and _yanked_ , he knew he should have trusted his instincts.

 

His body slammed down into the sand, being dragged almost immediately through the shallows and towards the deep. He coughed up saltwater, the burn making his eyes hurt as he took in the giant flippers splashing at him as he was descending into the ocean.

 

 _A Tizheruk_. He immediately ignited his arm, watching it burn with Greek fire as he quickly sliced down, hearing the scream even through the water as he pushed himself closer to the surface, not knowing quite well how to swim. He managed to get slightly in the air when a jaw clenched down on his right hand. He turned and looked down to see bright yellow eyes, snake head and almost mermaidlike tail now visible through the water. The snake creature-

 

_Kerberos-_

 

Chewed on his metal arm-

 

_On his flesh, chomping right through it-_

 

And with a shuddering breath of panic, it pulled him under again, water filling his lungs and burning his eyes as he screamed. He thrashed and writhed but already it curled it's tail around him, squeezing out all of his breath and waiting for him to stop struggling.

 

And Shiro could feel it, too. The cold sense of dread that he wasn't going to make it out of here, that he'd die alone and afraid and a failure. He looked up at the surface of the water, watching the tiny ripples as he realized drowning was… oddly peaceful. He felt the last bubbles of oxygen leave him as he slowly began to close his eyes.

 

Only to open them again as a glowing gaze stared into his. He looked at the figure with a dazed expression, not really registering vaguely human hands pulling him up, up, up towards the surface. He was barely managing to stay awake at that point, but as he broke the surface, he hears a voice hoarsely shout _“You better fucking stay alive god damnit, weird guy!”_

 

He wanted to tell the… whatever it was to watch its language, but darkness enveloped him, and his eyes shut.

* * *

 

  


“....up….”

 

“Dumbest….ucker….met!”

 

“HEY!”

 

Shiro jolted, his back arching and mouth coughing up water that simply floated in the air before plopping on the ground next to him. He wheezed softly as he rolled onto his side, clutching his abdomen that he was pretty sure got tap danced on. He curled in on himself, deciding he was never _ever_ going into the ocean again.

 

“I cannot believe you thought going into abandoned water was a good idea! What the hell were you thinking!”

 

“Hey.” Shiro coughed, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “Language-” He blinked at the strange situation in front of him.

 

It was a man. A teenager at the youngest, and at the oldest Shiro's age. His body was tanned and pristine, the whites of his eyes glowing and the blue irises coloured with curiosity. Long brown hair draped down his shoulders and pooled in front of his body, ethereal. “I’m not sure it's my language you need to focus on, rather your complete lack of ability to swim.” Behind him, a long tan leg raised itself in the air, and Shiro's breath caught.

 

_Human._

 

_Demigod._

 

“What's your name?” Shiro blurted out, watching the slightly grinning boy with awe.

 

The demigod frowned as he watched Shiro’s dazed look. “The name's Lance. Lance Sanchez. Who are you, Handsome?”

 

“Lance. I need you to get out of the water and join me on land. We need to get you back to Camp Jupiter.”

 

Lance pulled back a little bit, water surrounding his body almost protectively. “What? Why?”

 

“Why?” Shiro was breathless as he stood up, still slightly dizzy and ignoring Lance's words of caution. “Because you're a demigod, and I’m here to take you there.”

 

Lance frowned. “A what? I've never heard of that. Is it one of those videoooooo games?” He asked, drawing out the word almost awkwardly. “I heard those were exciting.”

 

Shiro shook his head and pointed at the street and the forest. “This way. I’ll take you to my hotel, get you some clothes, and get you some food.” Lance immediately perked at the idea, wide eyes blinking before pausing, managing a charming smile.

 

“Or.” He purred, sliding up on the sand more, batting icy white lashes. “You could stay here with me. Enjoy the beach, let me teach you how to swim? Have a good time.”

 

Shiro looked at him, a curious expression on his face. “What? No. I only have _maybe_ two days here. Then we have to go get the last one.”

 

“The last one?” Shiro couldn't help but think Lance was more like a cat than a sea creature, tilting his head. “There's more?”

 

“Um. Yes. And no. Like he's like you, but _not_ like you? Like… he's a demigod too, but like with different powers.” Shiro rubbed his temples. “But now we have to go.”

 

During Shiro fumbling through his answer, Lance's look had gone from surprised to bored in a heartbeat. “Well, sexy, that _does_ sound nice.” He hummed, letting the water envelop his lower body and slowly drag him back. “But I think I’m gonna have to pass. I’m not really interested in going on land.” His eyes slid away as he said that last word, a wince working it's way on his face. “But it was nice meeting such a charming guy!” He finger gunned at the son of Zeus, who watched him in disbelief.

 

 _Make him want to see you again_ . His brain urged him. _Make him come back and give you a second chance._ “Wait!” He shouted, making the man pause, eyebrow raising. “If you come back around this time tomorrow, I’ll bring you food. You don't have to leave the water, I’ll bring it to you.”

 

Lance blinked at him before a sly smile stretched across his face, wiggling his eyebrows. “Deal. As long as I get _you_ in the water too, and teach you how to swim.”

 

A cold sweat went through Shiro, and he could feel the cogs in his mind whirring. He _really_ didn't want to get back in the water, the experience not even an hour ago making shivers crawl up his spine like Pidge's spider, Rover. But…

 

_Corpses instead of people will be what you find._

 

“Deal.” He wouldn't let Lance die. He just met him, but this was his charge. He refused to fail, to be the reason he was frozen in the water, body floating and lifeless.

  
Lance smirked. “See you tomorrow, hot stuff. Bring a swimsuit.” And without even a splash, Lance was gone, only the quiet sound of the waves hitting the shore staying with Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Lance with all of his excessively long hair.


	3. Swimming and Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro goes swimming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so bad at summaries. Sweats.
> 
> Song for this chapter is Fly Down by Stephen!

Shiro has never swam before. Has he said that before? Well. He hasn't. And here he is, standing slightly shivering in the air in purple swimming shorts, black sleeved shirt covering his chest from the cold. He got quite a few looks from the people at the Walmart when he bought the ensemble, and he flew to the beach to avoid being stared at. Now, though, he was waiting for Lance, arms gripping each other to try and keep warm.

 

“Where is he?” Shiro murmured, the storm around him whipping his hair with anxiety. He knew it was his fault that the storm was there. When he became nervous and anxious, it seemed to manifest not in his actions but in the atmosphere. The clouds were a dark grey, betraying his slight trepidation to go into the water. He knew that this was a _horrible_ idea, but he didn't know how else to connect with the- with Lance.

 

He was so deep in thought that he almost didn't notice Lance pop up with a smile, blood gushing from a wound on his forehead and a seaweed bandage around his right arm. “Hey, stranger.” He waved with a wince. Shiro nearly bolted towards him, making the demigod almost swim backwards. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey there, why are you this close to-”

 

“Who did this to you?” Shiro murmured, eyebrows furrowed. “I thought demigods in their element were invincible in their elements.”

 

Lance frowned as water climbed up his long brown hair to lavish his wound with water, the cut closing oh so slowly. He removed the seaweed from his arm and revealed a bite mark. Shiro blinked. “That's actually the reason I can't go with you. Well, one of them.” He sighed with relief as the bite finally closed, looking at him warmly with glowing eyes. “Now come on, let me teach you how to swim.”

 

Shiro shifted slightly, and Lance raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure if you know, but people from different realms don't really… go into other realms. It usually ends badly. Like what happened yesterday.”

 

Lance furrowed his brow and scooted a little closer, stretching out his hand. “Well I think that’s a stupid rule. Now c’mere. Let's go swimming.”

 

“The water is probably cold.” Shiro argued weakly, knowing there wasn't a way to say no.

 

“I can warm it. Now _come in._ ” Before Shiro realized what he was doing, Lance had made the water pull him towards Shiro, pulling him close to the water but not quite pulling him in, the water holding Lance up. Shiro looked quietly at Lance, avoiding his… private bits and looking lower, at long brown legs.

 

 _Long brown legs littered with big, ugly scars_.

 

Lance saw him looking and with wide eyes he splashed himself back in the water, looking away. “I forgot those were there.” He mumbled. “I keep forgetting about them.”

 

“Your legs are broken?” Shiro blurted out, things starting to click. “You broke your legs, so you stay in the ocean.”

 

Lance's eyes darkened. Literally. “I don't think that I want to talk about it.”

 

“But can't your water heal it?” Shiro pressed on, albeit gently, not accusingly. “What happened to you?”

 

“I _said_ , I don't want to talk about it. Now get in the water or I’m leaving. And finding another place to lurk.” Shiro could see he was serious, and he quickly shut his mouth, nodding as he stepped towards the water. Once he got up to his ankles, his whole body went rigid. Lance was watching him carefully, a look of concern on his face. “Do you want me to pull you in?”

 

“You're not gonna drown me, are you?” Shiro's tone was playful, but his eyes were slightly tinged with nervousness. Lance's eyes softened as he shook his head, stretching out his hand again. Shiro kneeled down to the laying boy, and took it. “Okay.” For some reason when their palms connected, Lance's baby smooth and fingers long and delicate, Shiro felt a strange sense of calm wash over him, and he relaxed.

 

“Ready?” Lance asked, and he nodded, letting himself be pulled into deeper water. Soon he was waist deep, Lance keeping a good grip on him. “Okay. Let's start with floating.”

* * *

  


By the mid afternoon, Shiro was feeling almost confident in swimming. At first he was extraordinarily hesitant, but the storm around them was gone along with his worry. Lance was an excellent teacher, patient and attentive. Apparently his best swim was backstroke, Lance whistling in appreciation at his muscular build and making the son of Zeus blush. Lance also proceeded to tell him about how his blush reached his shoulders and triceps. Also, apparently he had a cluster of beauty marks on his lower back, just above his hip.

 

Shiro had never been so embarrassed in his life. But he had to admit, hearing Lance laugh, a loud but warm sound when he flailed slightly in the water, was nice and welcome.

 

The sun always seemed to dip, but never set, and Shiro didn't realize how late it had gotten until he checked his waterproof watch. Deciding he was doing his job, he stayed with Lance until drowsiness made his eyelids droop.

 

Lance seemed to notice this, and his eyes seemed to not only glow, but sadden. “Do you need to go back now?”

 

Shiro shook his head. “Nah, I’ll just build a fire on the beach and stay for a little bit. Maybe you'd be a little more willing to talk to me about yourself? I’ll bring some hot chocolate for you to have.”

 

Lance perked up at the idea of the warm drink. “Oh, of course!.” He paused. “Do you know how long it'll take for you to get the stuff?” Lance didn't want to be alone, it seemed.

 

“You could always come with me.” He said gently, eyes soft and welcoming. He wished for a moment he was a son of Aphrodite, maybe Lance would listen to him, but he immediately took the thought back. He wanted Lance to listen of his own free will. “I brought clothes to change into for myself, but you can borrow them. I can take you to get some hot chocolate with me.”

 

Lance looked almost _wistful_ at the idea, as if he wanted to go so badly. He even seemed to lift himself, but all at once he stopped, eyes flashing with realisation before sinking back into the water, eyes downcast. “I can't.”

 

Shiro felt frustration tense inside of him. “Why not, Lance? Why can't you tell me what happened? I want to help you!”

 

“Thank you for coming to see me. I’m glad that I got to teach you how to swim. You should go home now. I’m not coming with you, now or ever. I’m sorry.” He ignored the heartbroken look on Shiro's face as he turned and began to swim away. He heard Shiro call his name, but he only sped up. When he heard a splash, he couldn't help but look behind him, seeing Shiro swimming towards him freestyle. Lance snorted. He could _easily_ outswim him. He was about to as well when Shiro shouted out, steel eyes wide. Lance worried for a moment that the Tizheruk had grabbed him until he himself was yanked under, sharp teeth in his ankle. He yelped in pain, body acclimating to breathing underwater as he looked down at the creature clawing at his legs, blood seeping out of the wounds. A noise of pain left him and his eyes flashed, forcing a strong current to rip the Tizheruk away from him, the water quickly healing his wounds but leaving tiny little scars, almost invisible in comparison to the big ones leaving dents in his thighs and calves. He studied them quietly.

* * *

 

 

 _Lance was nine when he almost died. His mother had decided to take him and his family to Alaska, far away from their home in Cuba, to see snow. Lance, for one, absolutely hated it in Alaska. It was cold and snowy and the waves in the water were absolutely terrible, giving him no way to have fun, in his opinion. He kept slipping on the ice and getting nosebleeds, and frankly, he just wanted to go_ **_home._ **

 

_He told his mama and at the end of the week, all of them were ready to go. They had to drive down to the airport on the edge of a cliff. Mama didn't wanna call a taxi, said they were too expensive, so they had rented a car. Unfortunately, none of them were used to driving on ice._

 

_They crashed right over the cliff._

 

 _Lance's legs were crushed by the impact of the car on the bottom of the beach, debris floating everywhere as the ocean pulled them in. The impact instantly killed everyone else in the car. Lance couldn't even scream as water filled the vehicle, simply staring at a shard of glass piercing his mother's head, and oh, his little siblings, all of them, they were all dead, the seatbelts having broken on impact and oh there was so much blood their eyes were open and looked at him with such fear o_ **_h god no oh no oh no_ ** _-_

 

_The car exploded with the force of Lance's scream, muffled by the water that heard his pain and obeyed his call. He screamed and screamed, and the water absorbed his wails and his tears and made it a part of itself, deciding that maybe, just maybe, the boy had suffered enough. It pushed the remains of his family onto the beach, and took Lance deeper and deeper into itself, the fragile boy trying and failing to curl into a ball, legs limp in the water and blood curling around his body like an aroma, light and gentle. And Lance may have healed, he may have gained the ability to survive for years underwater, never going on land, but he never really recovered._

 

_Never._

* * *

 

 

Lance shook violently at the flashback and he quickly shot towards Shiro, the first thing on his mind was getting him to safety. He propelled himself through the water and grabbed Shiro's ankle and with a throw that could rival Heracles himself, he threw Shiro onto the beach, hearing him hit the sand hard. He almost called out in apology when he stiffened, feeling two more Tizheruk approaching though the water. He clenched his fist and twisted, summoning a water trident, eyes no longer holding any blue in them as he focused on finding the heat signatures in the water, and when they appeared he stabbed down, managing to get one, but not before the other managed to slip behind him. Lance twisted as fast as he could, but the Tizheruk was immediately on him, about to bite his head off-

 

The tizheruk screamed as a crack of lightning so loud it nearly made Lance go deaf struck it right in the middle of its body, the deadly accuracy killing the creature immediately. As it splashed down into the water, it revealed Shiro floating right above it, dark clouds swirling around him as if he were a storm ready to strike. His hair whipped around wildly and it seemed he was standing on a glass ceiling, face tightened in such controlled focus he couldn't look away. Lance knew he was a tsunami of abilities, able to overwhelm and control.

 

But maybe with Shiro by his side, they could be a hurricane.

 

“Lance!” Shiro swooped down to where the water was now getting choppy from reacting to Shiro's raw power, swirling around him like a whirlpool, as if he were ready to be sucked back into the water. “I didn't hit you, did I? Are you okay?”

 

But for the first time in twelve years, Lance didn't _want_ to. “Yeah. I’m… I’m fine.” He breathed, reaching out to grab for Shiro's hand. When he took it and tugged slightly, Shiro's bright smile made him take another breath as he was finally pulled out of the water, the air almost _warm_ on his skin.

  
“I’m okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for procrastinating like this! I work the night shift and sleep a lot. ALSO CUBAN LANCE CONFIRMED CUBAN LANCE CONFIRMED


	4. On Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shrug @ myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE MY PHONE DELETED THE CHAPTER TWICE IM SORRY prepare for some fucking shance bonding amiright

It was definitely a sight to see, Lance stumbling on his legs like a newborn deer, or perhaps Ariel from the little mermaid. Either way, Shiro noticed with a frown that the son of Poseidon was nearly _bone skinny_ . His ribs were visible, if slightly, his legs were weak from little use, and he had to hold on to a slightly flushed Shiro, shaking and shivering. “Oh man, It’s _cold._ ” Lance murmured, tangled hair dripping with salty water all the way down to his tailbone. His eyes were wide as he looked around the beach he'd lurked around for the most of life. It was one thing to be looking at it from  a distance, but with the sand between his toes, no matter how cold he was, it was almost like he could return home.

 

Shiro smiled at the look of wonder on the shorter boy's face. “Nice, right? Now, can you stand by yourself? I need to grab you clothes.” Shiro looked over Lance's dripping hair. “...And possibly a hair tie.”

 

Lance nodded, and though he wobbled dangerously, arms out to the side as he trembled in his movements, Shiro pulled out some sweat pants and underwear, a long sleeved T-shirt that was _far_ too big for Lance, and the black hoodie Hunk had made for him. Lance wobbled over and managed to get in the sweatpants and boxers, it hanging off a hip dangerously as he managed to wiggle his way into the T-shirt before nearly collapsing with a startled cough. Shiro managed to catch him, eyebrows worryingly furrowed. “Lance? Are you okay?”

 

Lance looked up at him with almost wide eyes, but nodded. “I- yeah. I’m fine. You're a lot bigger than I thought you were. These clothes are massive.” Shiro laughed oh so softly, not seeing the pinkness of Lance's copper cheeks before standing him up again, pulling the hoodie on him like a doting mother. Immediately, Lance was absolutely swathed in extremely warm wool, and his eyes dropped and bright neon darkened into a baby blue. “This is really soft.” He murmured softly, closing his eyes and nuzzling into it.

 

Shiro watched him and smiled at how comfortable Lance seemed to be even on land, which was such a long time ago that Shiro didn't even want to _think_ about what might have happened. Instead, he carefully stepped towards Lance, a hand on his shoulder. “You ready to go? You’ll want to hang on.”

 

Lance furrowed his brow. “What? Hang on to what?” Shiro wrapped his arm around Lance's waist and easily hoisted him up into his arms as if it were nothing, like Lance was a sack of flower. The son of Poseidon flushed darkly and made a noise before covering his face. “Why are you carrying me?”

 

Shiro laughed, his breath warm in the December air. “Because I am not walking back in a swimsuit.” Lance looked at him between his fingers and before he could ask how they were going to leave, Shiro launched into the air, the sudden blast of wind nearly making Lance fall out of his arms like a leaf. He couldn't comprehend what was going on until they finally slowed to a stop. Something in the back of his mind was blaring an alarm, that he _shouldn't be here_ and when he looked, he understood why.

 

They were a couple hundred feet off the ground, everything he had ever known a tiny speck below him.

 

Immediately, Lance started panicking. “ _Dios mio!”_ He nearly screamed, scrambling and writhing in Shiro's arms as Shiro tried to calm him down, which he was having absolutely _none of, no sir._ “ _¡Basta! ¡Ya no más!”_

 

Shiro was struggling to hold the lanky but lithe guy in his arms, who writhed like a dog in a cone, trying to get it off. His hair slapped Shiro in the face more than once, and Shiro quickly decided that the faster he flew back, the faster Lance could calm down. So instead of trying to calm him, he simply flew as fast as he could, Lance screeching in a language he didn't understand, causing Shiro’s worry to mount. He hoped he wasn't asking to be taken back.

 

They quickly landed at the hotel, in the front, and Lance practically shoved off of the son of Zeus, collapsing onto his knees with a gasp, clutching at his chest and his face and anywhere he could grab, as if some part of his body had fallen off in the air and he lost it forever. He was definitely shaken, and he looked over at Shiro with wide eyes. “Okay.” He breathed. “Okay. I get it. Domains. And stuff.”

 

Shiro shrugged. “It's a stupid rule.” He smiled softly and stretched out his human hand to Lance, who took it hesitantly, and Shiro led him quickly to his room, avoiding the stares that followed the two of them. He highly doubted that Alaska had hookers, but he hoped that nobody thought that  was what Lance was. He quickly brought him to his room, ushering him into a shower and avoiding looking at him as he practically threw his clothes off, leaping into the familiar source of water. Singing could be heard, the voice rambunctious but good, the slightly raspy sound on some lower notes making Shiro stop writing in his Journal to listen if only for a moment.

 

_I finally got Lance out of the water, almost at a great cost. He taught me how to swim, though most of it was flirting. He’s… he's got an enigmatic charm to him, but he definitely needs a haircut. He looks like one of those old Mermaid stories. Maybe he’ll let me cut it._

 

“Yeah, I’ll let you cut it.” Lance's voice was right in his ear and only then did Shiro notice that the shower had turned off and Lance was standing behind him, drying off in his towel, one wrapped around his hair (??? How???) And the other wrapped around his waist. His blue eyes twinkles mischievously as Shiro realized he could read what he had been writing, and his cheeks almost burned as Lance said out loud, “Enigmatic charm, huh?”

 

Shiro slammed his Journal shut, looking anywhere but at the barely covered demigod in front of him. “Um. You can wear the clothes I have until we get you some stuff. If you want.” Lance's smug look on his face was almost unbearable, ears burning. “I can cut your hair after you get dressed.”

 

Finally, Lance seemed to relent, and Shiro relaxed, if only slightly as his smile became less smug and more thankful. “Cool. Thanks, Shiro. There wasn't a lot of sharp stuff to work with, so I never got a chance to try it; a blessing, now that I think about it.” He turned around and with no prompting, he dropped his towel, Shiro's eyes widening to the size of plates and unable to rip his eyes from the small diamond shaped birthmark on the back of Lance's right inner thigh. _Oh._ He quickly looked away, letting Lance get dressed and politely stared at the bedside lamp until Lance turned to him, arms spread wide. “Okay! Let's do this!”

* * *

 

 

Lance's hair was almost terrifying to comb out. Tangles amongst tangles littered his hair, and by the time that Shiro got it done, the comb sliding completely through, it was almost time for bed. Lance seemed to be tired too, his head drooping even when Shiro gently moved his head back into position, making him groan. Shiro looked at the clock and blinked as he realized that it was midnight. They needed to sleep.

 

“Lance.” Shiro's voice was soft, and the boy in question groaned softly. “Lance, we can cut your hair tomorrow. For now, Let's get to bed. Okay?” Lance rubbed his eyes with his fists and nodded, standing up and making a beeline to the bed, flopping down. Shiro ignored the urge to get in the bed with him, and instead tucked him in and sleep on the couch with a blanket, letting darkness overcome him.

* * *

 

 

_“Hunk, are you okay?”_

 

_Screaming. Shiro looked back to see his arm being swallowed. Lotor’s face was pale, eyes wide as Shiro realized that it was gone. He swore he could still feel his fingers, his forearm, his fist. But. They. Weren't there? Where?..._

 

_“SHIRO!”_

 

He woke up with a gasp, eyes wide and sweat pouring down his forehead like a fucking waterfall. The first thing that greeted his sight was glowing white eyes, making him yelp, hand already poised to attack. “Lance!”

 

“Were you having nightmares too?” Lance's voice was soft, eyes crinkled in worry, much Like Shiro's had been earlier yesterday. Brown hair draped around him, narrowing his sight to just the tanned face oh so close to his.

 

He swallowed weakly, managing to get out a raspy “Yeah.”

 

Lance considered for a moment before pulling away, Shiro almost missing the warmth before a hand was yanking him off the couch and onto the bed, the force of his impact making him almost bounce. Lance quickly situated himself in the crook of Shiro's right arm, the metal not even disturbing him. “My mama had always told me sleeping with someone else, having their warmth near you, helps with nightmares.” Lance had no issues settling an arm over Shiro's abdomen, curled into his side and hair splayed all over the side of the bed not occupied. “She was right, you know.”

 

“What…” Shiro licked his suddenly dry lips. “What happened to her? You said was.”

 

A long pause accompanied the question, and almost when it became too much, a voice quieter than he had ever heard from Lance came out with a “She died.” Immediately, Shiro tried to apologise, to tell Lance he didn't have to share, but Lance talked over him. “She died in a car crash, with the rest of my family.”

 

“I’m so sorry, Lance.” Shiro found himself rubbing small circles into Lance's back, feeling the knobs of his spine like electric currents through his prosthetic. “I wish that didn't happen. Especially not to you.”

 

At that point, Lance stopped staring at the wall on the other side of the room and stared at Shiro, whose eyes were focused on the ceiling. “Especially not to me?”

 

“ _Especially_ not to you.” Shiro's voice cracked oh so softly. It was a trying day. “You didn't deserve to lose everyone you loved and cared for in one moment. You deserve so much better.” His arm moved from tracing Lance's spine to rubbing his back in broad movements, never going any lower than his upper back.

 

“You're right.” Lance's voice was too soft for Shiro to hear, his eyes shutting as Shiro's breathing evened out.“I deserve better.”

 

_I deserve this._

* * *

 

 

When Shiro woke up, he noticed two things immediately. One: Lance was sprawled over him like a Koala on a tree. Two: he had never had a better sleep. He blinked blearily, not wanting to move and disturb Lance, who was still sound asleep, hair splayed all over the place. Instead, he let himself have this one moment, putting his left hand on Lance's head, combing his fingers through surprisingly soft hair. Lance probably used all of his conditioner. Shiro huffed out a laugh.

 

It was that sound that had the demigod waking up, rubbing his own eyes like a baby would, fist in eye socket. He saw Shiro and immediately a warm smile overtook his features,soft and almost… almost _endeared_.

 

“Hi.” He croaked, voice not properly working. Lance's smile only grew as he mumbled back, “Hey.”

 

It was the screaming that ripped the two from their warm mornings, and almost immediately the two were looking out the hall, seeing an old lady sprinting so fast even Usain Bolt couldn't sneeze at her speed. Behind her was a Tizheruk, spear in hand. Both of them stared with wide eyes as it slithered down the hall, zeroing in on the two staring at it like absolute morons. “Oh no.” Lance whispered, and Shiro quickly yanked him into the room, slamming the door shut and locking it, pushing a dresser in front of it as fast as he could. Immediately slamming was heard on the door, as if the creature was trying to bust it down with his body.

 

“They can go on _land?!?”_ Shiro groaned, pushing on the dresser as hard as he could to keep it out.

 

“That's… the other reason I can't leave.” Lance looked _afraid,_ eyes wide. “I’ve been trying to keep them from the shoreline. They want their land back. They don't want the land with the extra supplies, though.”

 

Shiro frowned. _Extra supplies? What-_

  
A scream was heard again, louder and Shiro froze. _Humans._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to update more often.


	5. In The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro learns the reasons, and Lance finds the push.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS WAS POSTED SO LATE!!! You see, I've been writing on my phone for the past couple of stories, and now that I have my laptop, I should be posting a lot faster now. Thank you so much for being patient with me, and I plan to be doing much better about updating. Thank you so much for sticking with me.

Shiro, for all of his talents and all of his abilities, could not possibly think a way out of the situation that was so abruptly shoved into his hands. Lance still was getting used to walking on land, a feat that even Shiro knew he’d have difficulty doing if he had spent most of his life in the air. The tizheruk were banging and hissing at their door, the wood bending from the force of their attacks. And all in all, they looked (dare he say it) fifty shades of fucked.

            Lance seemed to agree. “FUCK!” he shrieked as a tizheruk crashed through the window, and before he realized what he had done, water crashed out from the open bathroom door, spearing right through the scalene creature, slamming him into the wall and actually through it, making Shiro stand up and stare at the sudden damage to their room. He sighed. _And today had started out so nicely, too._

            No time to dwell on that as three more came into the room, and Shiro quickly raced towards them, igniting his hand and easily slicing one clean in half, kicking one half onto a now enraged tizheruk and charging the other, more massive one. It swung its spear at him but he blocked with his right hand, groaning under the powerful strain of the creature above him. When it became too much he quickly dodged out of the way, twisting around to punch his hand right through it’s stomach, the heat of his bionic arm cauterizing the wound immediately, but it was enough for it to go down with a weak thud. He stood up, chest rising and falling rapidly as he wheezed quietly.

            He didn’t realize the third one hadn’t attacked him yet until after Lance let out a shout of pain. He whirled to see that the last one, who was screeching, had the demigod by his hair, and before Shiro could really do anything about it, Lance was thrown into the wall, causing his still healing body to crumple almost immediately, twitching and shivering. Shiro charged the lizard creature with a yell only to have it be dodged and himself shoved out a window. For a moment, he panicked. But when he stopped moving, he turned back to the now startled fish snake creature. He could feel the atmosphere wrap around him, and he breathed in, storm clouds gathering as he said in the softest voice he’d ever heard:  
            “Big mistake.”

            Lightning coursed through the air, through his blood and into the room, all the lights popping out and the Tizheruk screaming as glass went through its thick skin, brown ooze coming out. It covered its eyes as glass shattered them, and with a tumble and a screech, it tumbled out the window, Shiro watching it almost heartlessly.

            He quickly flew back into the room, stumbling on the glass for a moment before he saw Lance, still laying on the ground. There were a few tiny cuts, but nothing too major. They just had to get to some water, and he’d be fine-

            _Mother._ A voice echoed through the room, and suddenly everything else came to a screeching halt. He could vaguely hear something, a soft, inviting voice humming almost right beside him, and he couldn’t find it in him to move, body suddenly locked in place. Lance, however, seemed to gain life in his limbs as he stood, eyes cloudy and grey, no beautiful blue hues to be seen. His mouth opened again, the wisp of _mother_ coming out of his mouth, but not by his volition.

            “Lance?” Shiro’s voice was strained against this invisible enemy crushing his windpipe, but Lance didn’t answer. Instead, he turned away, walking over the glass (Shiro could only wince) and trailing his blood out of the door and down the hallway.

            Fear tore at every fiber of Shiro’s being, and he strained and thrashed against the power, feeling it’s surprise at his resistance. He heard the humming become louder, but instead of letting his body go as limp as it desperately wanted to, he fought harder, fear for Lance overriding his need to relax.

            _Why do you fight?_ A soft, motherly voice rested in his inner ear, as if speaking from his very core. _It would be so much easier to give in, to let me consume all of your worries, and all of your fears. I can take away your pain, Takashi._ Fear doused him as a kind of touch tightened around his right arm, the pressure palpable even through the metal. _Let me do this for you._

            Lance. Lance. Lance. He clenched his teeth and with a guttural shout, lightning struck the hotel once again, and the power that seemed to hold him disappeared, causing him to fall and collapse onto the ground with a coughing sensation that wracked his whole frame. His sight was blurring, and he didn’t realize that while she had been speaking, she had also been choking him. Was her power really that intense?

            Suddenly he remembered: Lance. He stood up too fast, nearly crashing into the only piece of furniture still in one piece, the dresser, and managed to get enough of a grip on himself to launch out the window, wind whipping his hair around in a mirror of his own anxiety as he searched the ground for Lance. He couldn’t have gone far, he couldn’t have. But still, he was nowhere to be seen, the streets simply full of terrified people.

            Now that he really looked, however, the tizheruk were gone too. Where did they?...

            His head snapped up as he realized the only place they could have gone was the beach. Oh, fuck. They were trying to take Lance back. He beckoned the wind to push him faster, harder, and soon he could barely hear over the sound of the wind screaming into his ear, so loud in the face of that creature’s humming. He had to get back there. Quickly, now, immediately, before it was too late.

* * *

 

 

            Pushing himself was a bad idea. He could barely keep himself up on two feet, his whole world spinning as he breathed heavily, body laden with sweat. His fingers tingled from how tightly he was controlling the winds, forcing them to his will. They seemed to drop him onto the ground almost bitterly, making him stumble. He looked up through damp hair to see Lance stepping closer to the water, his back almost haunting in its stillness.

            “Lance!” Shiro croaked, trying to run towards him but shouting in pain as he was shoved back into the sand, a figure standing on top of him with a sadistic, crazy grin on their face. It was a woman, her long hair a greenish white, and her skin a much darker shade of the colour. Her fingernails were incredibly long, and from how she poked at his cheek and blood seeped from the area, very sharp. Her amautik was soaked as she dripped above him and his eyes widened as he remembered from his research. “A Qualupalik?” He breathed, and the woman above him huffed, tilting her head as if what he said was amusing, something to pay no attention to.

            “So _you’re_ the one whose been trying to steal my precious son.” Her voice was soft, warm, but her eyes were icy with remorseless intent to kill. “I rescued him, you know. You can’t take away what is already so full of my power.” She ran a hand through his hair, avoiding cutting him with her nails. “And you were so close to being filled with power too, though I can already sense that you’re nearly _bursting_ with it. My name is Haagar, and I will give you one last chance, dearest Shiro.” He stared up at her with wide eyes as she stepped back off of him, a hand outstretched. “Join our happy family. Who knows, maybe I’ll let his legs heal for good this time.”

            The world seemed to freeze, and Shiro stared down at her hand. “Let… his legs heal?” He looked up at her with furrowed eyebrows, and her smile widened. “You can heal his legs?”

            She laughed, nodding. “Yes, Shiro. I can. And I will, if you agree to the small sacrifice of joining us underwater, becoming my precious unconditionally loved child. Do you accept?”

            A part of him knew that this was wrong, that he shouldn’t. But… more than anything, Shiro just wanted Lance to heal, for lance to grow and be strong and finally be happy with where he was. He began to reach out with his right hand, their hands almost encompassing when he froze.

            _Maybe I’ll let his legs heal._

_Let his legs heal._

_Let._

            He ripped his hand away with a snarl, eyes sharpening as he swiped at her. “You’re the reason he’s not healing! You’re the reason he’s still stuck here!” He ignited his hand and swiped at her, slicing her arm open and the howl she released had his whole body shuddering at the raw noise. She yanked herself back and snarled at Shiro, making the demigod shudder as she shot her arm out towards Lance, the boy twisting where he was standing and staring at her with an oddly placed sense of calmness. “Lance, my boy.” Her voice changed into something softer, an entirely different sound. “Kill the trespasser.”

            Immediately Lance launched himself at Shiro, who barely managed to lift his arm up in defense, but a wall of water slammed him in the side and sent him flying through the beach sand, a large puff exploding in the air with his impact. A gasp tore through his body as he felt his back ache with the pain of quickly getting up and igniting his arm once again as Lance came for him again. “Lance!” He shouted, taking steps back with every movement forward Lance took. “Lance, Listen to me! She’s a Qualipak! She’s controlling you with her mind! You need to-“ Another large blast of water slammed into his chest and this time he went flying so far he slammed into a tree, his whole body crying out in pain as something in his back snapped, and he collapsed to the ground, wheezing in pain. Tears stung his eyes and even as he tried to will his body to move, it simply wouldn’t obey. “Lance.” His voice ached, everything ached, and yet when he saw Lance’s feet in his peripheral vision, he reached out and grabbed his ankle. “Lance. _Please_. I know you can beat this. I need you to be stronger than her.” Lance didn’t seem to move and for a moment, it almost looked like Lance was waiting for the proper moment to strike. Shiro felt his consciousness fading from the pain, and soon his hand dropped from Lance’s ankle, and he collapsed to the ground, breathing weak.

            “Yes.” Haagar’s voice echoed through the air, and Shiro could barely make out the cold stare of Lance’s gaze as tunnel vision soon was setting in. “Kill him, Lance, and we can finally be happy.” She seemed to drape over him and whispered into his ear once again, “Kill him, and we can be a family again.”

            Lance’s eyebrows furrowed, and suddenly he gasped, blue flashing back into his gaze. “Family?” His voice wavered, and Haagar frowned. “My family.”

            _A figure standing in the road. Green skin, white hair._

_An evil smile as they swerved into the ocean._

_Cold hands on his cheeks._

            “You’re the reason we fell of the road?” Lance’s voice was little more than a whisper as the memories came flooding back. “You were standing in the middle of the road. You killed them.” His eyes slowly began to brighten, and his fist clenched tight as he saw what he had done to Shiro, the person outside of the ocean that made him finally feel whole again. “You’re the reason they’re dead.”

            “Lance, what are you talking about?” Haagar’s voice had taken a different form again. “He’s the one that-” Her words got caught in her throat as Lance turned around, hand raised. His eyes were burning brightly, and his teeth grinded against each other as he pushed her back. It was then Shiro knew that Lance was manipulating the water _inside of her body_.

            “Don’t. Use. My mother’s voice. To speak to me.” Lance seemed to be aching with the stress of pushing Haagar back, farther and farther into the water. He took staggering steps forward and began to clench his fist, Haagar choking on black liquid seeping out of her mouth. Soon they were both in the ocean, and Shiro tried to sit up but couldn’t spots dancing in his vision. He couldn’t do anything but watch as they both waded thigh deep, and with a swift twist of his wrist, a crack loud enough to shatter glass was heard. Haagar fell into the water and seemed to turn into steam, and almost all at once, water surged around Lance, healing his body completely.

            “L..ance…” Shiro’s voice was full of relief as he finally let himself relax and slump into the ground, hardly noticing when water enveloped him. Shiro could only really feel a warm hand touching his cheek, and he leaned into it as he fell into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The3 next chapter should be up a lot faster, and I now have the whole thing lined up! Thank you for your continued support!!!


	6. A dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is pining, and Lance is oblivious.   
> Welcome to France.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PINING SHIRO PINING SHIRO PINING SHIRO also guess who u meet in this chapter

            When Shiro woke up, he felt… refreshed. Most of his body was enveloped in water, but he felt no fear. In fact, he felt secure, warm, _serene_ even. As if he were eternally floating in a place where space and time had no real meaning and there was no prophecy, and there was no dying, there was just him. He let out a small sigh, letting his eyes open just slightly, taking in the millions of stars resting in the sky above him, winking at him even from such a distance. _Jupiter should be in the sky tonight_ , he thought dully as he closed his eyes again, head lolling over to the side. The sound of waves made him open his eyes again, revealing Lance’s back facing him while he stood, brown hair clenched tightly in one hand as he raised a sharp piece of glass to his locks. For a moment, he seemed to almost hesitate before cutting it off with one clean cut up to his chin, his neck looking almost _too_ naked with the long strands tightly wound within long delicate fingers. Lance seemed to study his hair a little bit, and even from this distance where Shiro laid in a demigod made pool, he could see that Lance’s eyes were softly glowing again. Not brightly, or vibrantly, but soft, like the stars winking down at the both of them, as if solidifying the bond they now had. Shiro managed to give a little push to the air around them, and a small wisp of air seemed to kiss bronze shoulders and ruffle his newly cut style as the son of Poseidon finally released his hair, watching it fall into the water and wash away with one movement of his hand. He didn’t seem to move for a while, but whenever he did, it was towards Shiro, who couldn’t help but smile sleepily at him. “You’re cute when you’re sleeping.” Lance murmured, letting a hand run through Shiro’s white forelock. “Kinda wish I could see you like that more.”

            Shiro’s thought process was kind of… muddled at the moment, but he managed to get out with a raspy voice, “You can if you come to Paris with me.” Lance seemed to pull back in surprise, but Shiro managed to be faster, grabbing him gently by the wrist. “Please come back with me. I can’t leave you here. I don’t want to leave you here. _Please._ ” His voice was raw, but sincere, and somehow, with the way Lance’s eyes were widening, it looked like he could see the sincerity. “Come back with me. The Qualupalik that controlled the Tizheruk are gone now. They shouldn’t want to go on land anymore. Please.” He had finally reverted into a whisper, eyelids becoming heavy. “Please stay with me.”

            Lance’s eyes were almost fond with the words that Shiro spoke to him, as if he had heard his story many times before and it still managed to amaze him every time Shiro told it, and when he finished speaking, Lance let his hand finally rest on Shiro’s cheek as he leaned in, kissing him deeply and warmly. Shiro kissed back, eyes shutting, and suddenly the world finally let him rest.

* * *

 

 

            Shiro woke up to Lance sleeping on his chest again, but this time they were on a beach, and it was snowing. His whole body went into overdrive, but immediately he noticed that they weren’t freezing. Lance’s water still enveloped them both, and they were kept warm by the deep currents that the boy wonder seemed to pull out from the deepest depths. Even that was an impressive feat by any child of Poseidon. He looked down to the figure flopped on his chest, short brown hair splayed across his chest, barely making it to his left pectoral, still covered with his pajama tank top and sweats. He vaguely remembered having a dream about Lance kissing him and immediately flushed at the preposterous Idea. _It certainly has been a wild 24 hours_ , he mused to himself as he gently wrapped his arms around Lance’s back, and one under his thighs, carrying him carefully as they stepped out of the water, not soaked at all. And Lance was still asleep, too. “Remarkable.” Shiro whispered, and not about the power of the demigod. If his cheeks were pink, it was because of the snow as he gently and slowly flew them back to the hotel.

* * *

 

 

            Lance didn’t seem to wake up for a long time, and Shiro knew why as he looked down at his own body. He had gained many scars from being a praetor, but with how long Lance had been healing them, it was almost impossible to believe the smoothness of some parts of his body. A lot of the smaller and medium scars had… _healed._ No Apollo medicine, no Ambrosia or Nectar had managed to heal any of his scars, so what did Lance have that they didn’t? He looked up into the mirror and carefully examined himself and the large scar adorning his face as he studied his steely silver eyes. Could it heal his arm too?

            Immediately he dismissed the thought, knowing that it was not something to be dwelled on or else that would be the only thought on his mind and eventually it would consume him. (It almost happened once, a few months after… the event… happened. Shiro had just… shut down when it finally hit him it wasn’t going to grow or come back. He almost lost his title as Praetor when it happened, but Allura managed to get him on his feet for the duel before it became too much of an issue.) Instead he turned to Lance and pulled out some of his own spare clothes, some joggers and a large purple praetor t-shirt, walking over to lance and gently touching his shoulder, smiling softly at how he seemed to grumble as he stirred, doing his strange habit of rubbing his eyes with his fist rather than his fingers. “Shro?” Lance’s voice was garbled, and the bags under his eyes were heavy. For a moment, Shiro felt a pang of guilt for waking him up, but he knew that they needed to get up. “Whashappenging?”

            “Good morning.” He teased softly, watching Lance grumble but not angrily as he took the clothes (Shiro _just_ realized Lance was naked. Oh.) and shuffled them on, everything _still_ too big for him, but he didn’t seem to care. He shuffled over to the bathroom of their brand new hotel suite (The hotel said there was a massive explosion and all the crocodiles at the zoo got out. The mist truly was amazing.) which had a balcony and a large, oval shaped bed which the two of them slept on, Shiro less than Lance, however. They probably gave them the suite because they were leaving in the morning anyway, what’s one day? “We’ve gotta get going soon, Lance.” Shiro said softly. “We gotta get going to Paris soon.”

            Lance poked his head out of the bathroom door, hair wildly curly now that it wasn’t too heavy and dragging him down. “Pariff?” He asked, voice muffled by the toothpaste before he spat it out and began scrubbing again. “What’s in Paris?”

            Shiro stepped into the bathroom too, washing his face slowly. “We need to find one more Demigod, and then we can head back to California, where we can set you up in new Rome.” Lance’s curious stare had the tips of his ears turning red before he managed to finally continue his explanation. “New Rome is a place where demigods can live together in harmony without fear of monsters trying to kill them. It’s a really nice place with a large pool and wonderful university-“

 

            “Will you be there?” Lance’s voice wasn’t loud, but it felt like he shouted it directly into his ear. The curiousity on the guy’s face had him struggling to control the blush threatening to rise. “Do you stay in the New Rome too?”

            “I-” He coughed slightly. I, ah, I watch over the place. I’m a praetor. One of them.” Lance raised an eyebrow, and Shiro sighed. “There are two of them, the other one is a daughter of Aphrodite, Allura.”

            Immediately Lance’s facial expression changed, from one of quiet curiousity to a sly look, eyes lidded and mouth in a grin. “Allura, huh? She must be pretty alluring to get a name like that.”

            TO be honest, Shiro never really realized the name and word correlation until now, but even because of that It was worthy of an eyeroll. Instead of replying with anything, he quickly packed up the meager items they had (Lance got the hoodie again. Shiro liked how he looked swaddled in a parka.) and grabbed Lance by the wrist, the other demigod wearing Shiro’s spare pair of sneakers. “So, we’re gonna take a plane from here to Seattle, and from Seattle to Frankfurt and from there to Paris. It’ll be a pretty long journey, but fortunately for us, I’ve got a friend whose father owns the international Holt Airlines, So maybe we’ll be able to get good seats.” Lance perked up at the sound of _good seats_ , so with a small smile and some weird sense of determination, Shiro picked up his phone and called Pidge. “Hey, Pidge? We need a favour…”

* * *

 

 

            First class. They got First. Class. Their chairs were huge, and so was the leg room. The food was also spectacular, and Shiro watched as Lance happily ate his fill on the flight from Seattle to Frankfurt before promptly collapsing into a heavy slumber, finally sated for the first time in a while. Immediately, when he had called Pidge, Hunk and Allura immediately showed up, squishing into the line and asking about how it went. And then when Lance heard the noise on the way to the airport in the taxi, he talked loudly into it too, and soon the amount of yelling in the small and cramped vehicle had Shiro mouthing apologies at the driver as they dropped them off, Shiro tipping them extra. Pidge asked for a picture (“For Shiro’s first quest, guys!”) and when Lance was told they wanted a selfie, he immediately snuggled into Shiro’s side, the photo accidentally catching Shiro’s surprised look. It was a good picture, all and all. Shiro in a soft fleece jumper, black denims and purple earmuffs, eyeliner perfectly enhancing his wide eyed _oh fuck_ look, and Lance snuggled up into the crook of Shiro’s arm like he was born to be there, eyes crinkled in a smile as he wore a now deep blue parka with white faux fur that framed his beautifully tanned face and bright blue eyes. It couldn’t be seen either, but Lance was wearing Shiro’s favourite pair of joggers. They couldn’t find another chance to take a selfie, so they had to use that one instead, Shiro groaning at the look on his face as it told him it had sent.

            “Smart phones are so exciting. I remember having a flip phone, that was fun. When I wanted to be dramatic I would snap it shut angrily, but these are so much cooler now.” Lance murmured as they waited in line for their third plane. Frankfurt was a massive city in Germany, and though it was amazing to look around and see such an amazing place, their flight came quickly and soon they were finally on their way to-

            “Paris!” Lance shouted out, pulling Shiro by the coat to the exit of the airport, snow falling rapidly but lightly, highlighting Lance’s brown hair, now cut just a little shorter while they were between flights, locks of hair tickling at his earlobes sometimes. “It’s so pretty, Shiro.” Lance turned to smile so brightly at Shiro he nearly forgot to breathe, taking in the warm pinkness of Lance’s cheeks at the raw excitement of being not only back on the ground, but also in a place he had never even been before. He wanted to take a picture right that second, and before he could second guess himself, he lifted his phone and took one with a click, Lance’s breath perfectly captured along with his smile and happiness in the frosty air. _Perfect_ was all he could think as he put his phone away. “So, our hotel’s a little over to the side, but If you want we can look around?”

            Lance opened his mouth to let out a happy reply, but happiness turned into shock as he pointed at the airport, and when Shiro turned his eyes widened too.

            Just as they saw it, they were moving to cover as a dragon descended onto the glass ceiling, shattering it immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> waht a nasty temper u got there mr dragon


	7. Strange Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro hasn't seen a dragon before, but he sure knows that they don't reside in airports.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KEI UR PRESSURING ME TO POST EARLY

            _Well,_ Shiro thought dully, _at least they knew where to start now._

The dragon roared so loud it nearly gave him a migraine, even from this distance. He could hear Lance’s “WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!?” too, and he quickly turned to look at the suddenly pale man beside him, blue eyes wide as he took in the violent sight in front of him. “Did dragons just fucking grow out of the ground while I was gone?!?”

            “No, they’ve been here a while.” Shiro answered patiently, though he watched the creature as it began to smash the ceilings, as if he were looking for something. Was it looking for them? “I’ll be right back.” He shouted at Lance, who looked like he was choking as he grabbed Shiro’s wrist, grip strong. “Lance, I need to check it out!” He tried to talk over the screams of mortals around them, but Lance didn’t let go, eyes wide.

            “Please come back.” His whole body was tense as he tried to convey something with his eyes. “Don’t make me come in there and get you.”

            Realizing the fear behind the words (Abandoned again, after a day of finding company; Lance unwilling to be alone again) he nodded and squeezed the hand on his right wrist before pulling away and launching himself into the air, speeding at the dragon. Even from this far away, it was obvious that the monster was fucking _huge_. At least 100 meter wingspan, it’s body far larger and nearly encompassing half of the building. He could hear the cries of agony as he sped towards the monster, barely managing to duck under a massive wing the colour of poison and heading towards the face. _“HEY!”_

            The head turned towards him, and his breath caught as he took in glowing purple eyes, no irises or pupils seen. A long, deep and jagged scar slashed across its mouth and its teeth were dripping with… something. Shiro didn’t want to think about it. It seemed to envelop him with just its stare before it turned away from him, as if he were an ant on the pavement unworthy of his time. Shiro pushed himself in front of the dragon again, raising his hand and making the skies crash and rumble, that more than anything else making its stare shift back to him. “HEY! DON’T IGNORE ME!”

            **_And I am not listening. Be gone._**

            Shiro’s whole body shuddered as his mind was so deeply invaded, and he lost his balance on the winds for a moment, beginning to fall for a moment before catching himself. _What… what was that?_ He wasn’t alone in his own head. There was a huge and ominous presence that had threatened to overwhelm him with only a flicker of power. Shiro had never felt so powerless before that moment, even when he lost his arm. This… this creature could kill him in a heartbeat, and just didn’t care enough about him to even consider it.

            But it _did,_ however, seem to care about something inside the airport, and with a gust of air, he shot into the hole the dragon had made, speeding past the people still trying to get out, not caring if they saw. What could a grand, ancient dragon want from a modern airport? The food? The shitty service? The croissants?

            As he saw a flash of black and shadow, he decided that maybe that would be a good place to begin.

            He took a deep breath and began to focus on distilment in the wind around him. It was hard to focus with all of the mortals rushing around like frightened insects, but soon he could tune them out to only look for… supernatural interference. He felt something shift in the air, but in a jarring and disconcerting way. Like something was cutting through the air itself and disappearing. It made his blood go cold, but not enough to deter him from trying to follow the source. They seemed to move in only short bursts, so it was rather easy to catch up to the flashes of darkness popping up and disappearing in the airport, but Shiro had no idea where it was going, or why.

            Suddenly another screeching crash had him looking up to see that the dragon had broken completely through the ceiling and barreled through the airport, destroying everything it rammed through.

            _Oh fuck,_ Shiro thought dimly as he began to fly as fast as he could towards the exit. The shadows seemed to have noticed the oncoming stampede as well, and was heading the same way as him, so he took the opportunity to try and fly closer. He seemed to get within arm’s reach of it, and just as they were about to get to the exit too. If he looked a little closer, he could see a figure popping in and out of the darkness. He sped up a little bit more, pushing himself a little bit farther-

            When the world around him burst into flame, and a scream caused the shadow to stay stationary, morphing form to a… a person? He could see much over the flames, but he quickly snuffed the flames around them and flew over. “Hey!” He seemed to be yelling a lot, but it was hard to hear over the roar of his own blood and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The body seemed to twitch, and Shiro noticed the back of the person’s hair was burnt almost to the nape of his neck, and his back was completely scorched, making him hiss at just looking at it. He moved towards them again when a strong but delicate hand snapped up to grab his left arm and throw him as hard as it could out the window of the building.

            His back collided with the glass and he grunted as he stopped the impact from hurting him too bad, glass falling around him like rain. Okay. Fine. That’s it. He could see the dark wisps curling around the still frustratingly hidden figure, and Shiro charged right at him, storm clouds swirling around him as the two collided, lightning and darkness. There was a loud shattering sound as a sonic boom completely destroyed the airport, glass flying and fire bursting, and Shiro was enveloped in darkness, the only sounds accompanying him were the roar of the dragon.

* * *

 

 

            He wasn’t there for long, as he found himself spit out into a narrow alley, stumbling into a wall and scrabbling for breath. It was invasive, it was intrusive, and he couldn’t breathe in whatever he was. It was pure, undistinguishable darkness that pressed into him at all sides and it felt like an eternity before he could make it out. It was just as bad as being underwater, and it proved itself as he vomited on the ground, his right hand keeping him up with the wall. “Ew.” He managed to say weakly, before the sound of pained breathing made him turn around.

            The shadow he had followed was no longer dark, but pale. A boy was lying on his stomach with whines of discomfort leaving his no doubt agonized body. And shiro could see why. His entire back was scorched, third degree burns covering the skin like a blanket, and Shiro almost felt bad for getting irritated with the kid that threw him out a window.

            That is, until he managed to get up, and Shiro saw his face. He was all sharp edges, the exact opposite of Lance’s smooth angles. His hair was wildly messy and practically still singing from the absolute beast that attacked him. His eyes were dark, but purple could be made out from the angry glare focused purely on him. “T’es qui, toi?” His voice was dark and raspy, but he did not hide the fact that he thought Shiro a threat. He had a dagger in one hand, but his fingers twitched with pain as he struggled to stay up straight. His clothes were little more than rags, black skinny jeans and red high tops still intact, but the shirt and black hoodie he had seemed to be wearing were little more than rags, though that didn’t see to deter him. “Pourquoi tu m’suis?!?” He bit out, harsher and angrier as pain flashed through his unyielding eyes.

            Shiro couldn’t understand him, but he knew he couldn’t just leave this… demon? Witch? To fend for himself. “Listen, wait.” He murmured, hands up in a defensive position as he took a small step forward. The boy bristled, a strange sound like a growl leaving his throat. “Wait! I can help you!”

            “Si t'arrête pas, je te coup la gorge.” He spat out, and Shiro didn’t need to understand him to know a threat when he heard one. He winced at himself, knowing what he had to do. He quickly launched himself forward and grabbed the knife hand, yanking it behind him and grabbing the man by his neck, pinching slightly as he struggled and yelled. “Trou de cul! Lache moi!”

            Shiro winced again as he mumbled an apology at him before knocking him out with a quick chop to his neck, his whole body stiffening and slumping all at once. Shiro only managed to get him situated by throwing him over his shoulder, trying to touch him as gently as he could. He floated gently into the air, feeling the wind poke in curiousity and surprise, but he shooed the spirits away as he did a quick 360, looking for the nearest hospital. He was sure Lance would know how to heal him.

            _Lance._ Alarms were suddenly blaring in his head, and instead of heading for the nearest hospital, he went for the airport, the stranger’s life currently far less valuable than Lance’s. He pushed, and he pushed until they were in front of the rubble, which was far more extensive than when the dragon attacked. His eyes widened as he took in the damage. “Did we… do that?” He asked rhetorically to the unconscious man on his shoulder, before putting him down on his stomach and looking around. “LANCE!” He shouted, throwing himself into the air as his hair whipped around his head, making it hard to see. He checked the entrance where he left him and his heart sank as he realized he wasn’t there. He did another quick spin around before panic truly set in.

            _What if he went in after me?_

            Shiro’s entire body shuddered at just the thought, and he returned to where the man was lying on the ground, soft breathing heard as he felt panic wash over him and corrupt his logical thought. _I lost my charge. I lost Lance. My first mission and I’ve already failed. What if he died? What if he’s alive, but I can’t hear him? I’ve fucked up, I’ve fucked up, I’ve-”_

He didn’t realize the person behind him was awake until he felt a knife against his throat and harsh breathing on his neck. “Bouge pas. Pas un bruit.” He hissed, and Shiro stiffened as he was slowly pushed forward, and then he spoke again. “Do not. Follow me. Again.” The French accent was heavy on his tongue, and in different circumstances (very, very _very_ different circumstances), he would have found it charming. “If you do, I will kill you.”

            “So you do speak English.” Was Shiro’s response, and the knife pressed even harder into his neck, a slight amount of blood dripping down the blade. “Listen.” He tried to speak quickly, as it seemed the shorter man was far too short on patience as well as height. “My friend, He can heal you-”

            “I can heal myself.” He snarled, even though Shiro highly doubted it. But it didn’t matter when the back of his knees were kicked and he fell to them. He made a move to roll away, but soon the man was on top of him, teeth clenched and hands hesitant as he raised the knife. “There is no hard feelings.” He whispered. Distantly, Shiro could see a tiny golden vial around his neck, glowing as bright as the sun. “I can’t have anyone knowing I was here.” He raised his arm, and Shiro closed his eyes tightly.

            What greeted him next wasn’t death, or pain, or anything really that negative. One minute, he was waiting for death, and the next, he was _soaked_. The teenager had been blasted off of him, and Shiro looked up as best he could, seeing none other than Lance Sanchez completely surrounded with water, eyes glowing such a bright white it seemed he were an imploding star. The icy temperatures did nothing to stop the steam from the water from rising, as Lance took a very slow, and very, _very_ threatening step towards the figure that was now standing, his own eyes flashing purple.

            “You’ve made a mistake.” Lance’s voice was light, but the way his fingers were poised, flat and sharp, there was no mistake to be seen.

            There was a reason he was the terror of the seas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T'es qui, Toi?- Who are you?  
> Pourquoi tu m'suis?- Why are you following me?  
> Si t'arrête pas, je te coup la gorge.- If you take one more step, I'll slice your fucking throat.  
> Trou de cul! Lache moi!- Asshole! Let me go!  
> Bouge pas. Pas un bruit.- Don't move. Not a sound.


	8. Colliding stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the eye of a Hurricane, there is quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much thanks to my spanish Translators @RedxYami and @galranshiro!!! I appreciate your help so much with this, as I am so weak at Spanish.

            The world around the three of them seemed to fade away, and Shiro took in the two standing in front of him. The nameless boy seemed crouched, standing up and cracking his neck, and the next time he opened his eyes, a fire seemed to burn in his irises. “Is that how it’s going to be, water boy?”

            "No toques lo que no te pertenece." Lance snapped back, clenching his fist and thrusting his hand forward, the water shooting at him with such speed Shiro almost couldn’t believe it. But the target didn’t even seem worried, instead just smirking as he disappeared in a cloud of darkness. The water speared right where he was standing, and Lance pulled back with surprise. He whipped his head around, barely seeing the nameless man falling from the sky with his knife in his hands, arching it down and barely blocking it in time. And just as he was there he was gone again, appearing right in front of him, several feet away, feet skidding in the snow around them. The darkness swirled around him and seemed to cover his back like armor, and he sighed as he stood up straighter.

            “What a bitter voice you’ve got.” Shiro heard the French teen snarl as he launched himself forward again, speed like nothing he’d ever seen. But this time, Lance was ready for him as he grunted and with a quick movement he turned the snow into hundreds of tiny spikes, lifting them into the air and hurling them as hard as he could. It almost seemed like it was raining, but again he disappeared into the shadows, and Lance paused, wrapping his water around him in a shield, waiting, watching.

            It didn’t take long before he appeared again, plunging his knife into the water as hard as he could, but Lance froze the water around his wrist, watching and relishing the surprise on his opponent’s face as he thrusted his hand forward to pierce through his stomach, eyes glowing fiercely in a wildly out of place sense of bloodlust. This… this _bastard_ had the nerve to touch Shiro. And for that, he was going to pay.

            The other tried to disappear into his shadows again, but with a wild malicious smile, Lance plunged his hand into the darkness as fast as he could, grabbing something and pulling _hard_ , yanking the boy out of his precious hiding spot and dangling him upside down. He released the bubble around his body and wrapped it around him instead, watching him struggle for breath. He thrashed and twisted, and with a curling of his fingers, he slowly began to freeze it, watching as panic began to invade violet eyes. "Llevate esta lección a la otra vida" he murmured softly, as the frost of his ice covered the other’s face.

            Shiro tried to yell out, but the pain in his throat made him stop. He knew that if he aggravated his wound more, it could get even worse. So he tried to get up and rush over, but a cracking noise made him realize that Lance had frozen his legs to the ground. He gripped his throat as he tried to call out, “LANCE! STOP!” He almost flinched as Lance turned to him, eyes almost… inhuman.

            “The sea has no mercy.” He said with such a cold tone that Shiro shuddered as he looked back to his prey. “And neither do I.” He clenched his fist tighter, and soon ice encased the shadow traveler. He made to take a step forward, to see if he had properly died, and Shiro could only watch in horror as Lance murdered someone in cold blood.

            Well. Almost murdered.

            The ice ball exploded open, throwing Lance so far backwards that he reached the rubble of the airport, skidding in the snow until he hit a large piece of cement. In place of the ball stood the demigod. Eyes filled with such rage that Shiro almost didn’t notice the smoke pluming from his mouth and slitted pupils. His fists were clenched, and with an earth shattering scream, the ground opened up and skeleton warriors clambered out, rusted armor and swords and spears in their very much _alive_ hands, and Shiro knew.

            Demigod.

            _His Demigod._

            The _demigod_ rushed forward, flinging his hand out and crushing it into a fist. Immediately the warriors obeyed orders and honed in towards Lance, who was still struggling to get up from his rude collision with concrete. He was gripping his head, which was bleeding, and as he opened his eyes he saw the fleshless creatures racing at him. His eyes widened and he yelped as he threw up a wall of ice, watching in horror as the skeletons chopped and picked at it like it was nothing. The demigod walked forwards slowly, more and more skeletons rushing out behind him, some human, some mystical creatures. The amount of power that this person held was _staggering_ , and Shiro knew that if he didn’t do anything, both of them would end up dead. He closed his eyes and focused as hard as he could, forcing the air to lift him up and out of the ice capturing him. It hurt, and he felt himself tense in pain, but soon he was soaring forward, able to see the fight from a bird’s eye view. Lance was holding up, but not for long. But he grit his teeth and strengthened his defenses, pushing out spikes of ice that impaled some of his opponents. The demigod looked like he was on fire, and Shiro would know. But that wasn’t regular fire starting to ignite in his hand. No, that was _Greek fire._ He looked down at his own hand staring at it in shock. Everyone thought that the Greeks had created that odd little concoction, but when he saw it just… appear in his hand, he knew that it was not true.

            The demigod pulled back, and threw a fireball as hard as he could, completely destroying the ice shield Lance made. It made him fly back even farther, but he managed to stay on his feet for it, and now Lance was teetering dangerously on the edge, face scrunched in such rage that Shiro could see it from hundreds of feet above. Soon the two of them were racing towards each other once again, Lance slamming his hands on the ground and ripping them up. He sent all of the warriors flying and used the disorientation to get in close and land a punch on the son of Hades, whose head snapped back so hard at the hit he almost got whiplash. But he recovered quickly and pulled out a second knife, thrusting it forward and cutting Lance’s hoodie sleeve and some of his skin. Lance screamed in fury and tackled the other to the ground, both of their eyes blazing as they tried their best to kill each other until finally, they were both compromised, Lance sitting on top of his enemy. Lance had water close to the other’s lips, and the other had their knife to Lance’s neck and a hand gripping both of theirs in one hand, the grip tight. Lance had a bloody nose and a cut on his cheek, and the son of Hades’ mouth was bleeding, he had a black eye and bruising around his throat. Both of them were breathing heavy, realizing they were pretty evenly matched but both refused to lose, the urge to destroy their opponent almost overwhelming.

            Shiro saw his chance and rushed down to them, neither pair of eyes even taking him in. “Guys!” He shouted, and only Lance flinched at his tone. “You need to stop! He’s the one we’re here for, Lance!”

            “Him?!?” Lance spat out, a snarl on his face as he struggled against the hands holding his arms up uselessly above his head. “He tried to kill you! He tried to kill me! Ese tipo es basura!” He managed to get a hand loose and reach for his neck, instead being rolled over by his opponent but not before he managed to grasp the golden liquid vial around his neck, making him stiffen. A flinch of fear flashed through purple eyes, and Lance caught it immediately, grinning breathlessly as he tightened his grip on it. “Oh? Does this mean something to you, estupido?” The knife pressed closer to his copper throat and his breath hitched, a wicked idea gleaming in his eyes at the silent answer. He winked at the boy on top of him, and with as much strength as he could muster, he blasted him off of his lap. The amount of power he used nearly made him black out, but all that mattered was that his grip was strong enough on the vial to keep it in his hands as the demigod fell into the snow. He sat up, grabbing at his chest and struggling to move forward, but the pain in his back was beginning to take its toll. He collapsed to his knee, breathing heavy as he opened an eye. “Give. That. Back.” He growled, thrusting his hand out. “Now.” Lance knew an advantage when he had it, and he let it fall out of his hands and onto the ground, raising his foot into the air to see the look of fear on the other’s face. It was worth it. Real, genuine fear plastered itself on his face and he shouted, “DON’T!” As Lance’s foot descended.

            Alas, his foot could only crush the snow beneath it as Shiro snatched it just in time, still clutching his throat and breathing heavy. The grip on the vial was firm, but not in any movement to crush it. “ENOUGH, LANCE!” He boomed, anger clearly written on his face that had even the stranger shrinking back as Shiro landed, stomping over to the two of them. “Do you know what the fuck you almost did?!?” He tried to control his words, but the edge of pain and the pure, raw anger he felt was making it difficult. “You almost fucking killed the person we _came_ here for!”

            Lance felt frustration well up in him and he jabbed a finger at the slightly confused Frenchman swaddled in snow. “He can’t possibly be him! He sucks!”

            Shiro pinched his nose as he took a deep breath, jolting slightly as he felt water clamber up to his throat, sealing the wound shut as he relaxed softly at the silent apology from his… his friend. Friend. “We need him. Alive. The son of Hades. We need to get him back to the camp. We need to get you both to the camp.”

            Lance flinched back a little at the name of the god, and looked over to the son mentioned, who stared back with an almost owlish look on his face. Shiro took a hesitant step forward, and the demigod didn’t seem to move back from his step, though he did seem to tense. “Hey.” Shiro started, wincing at how raspy his voice was. “Sorry about… all that. Can you tell us your name?”

            “Why should I tell you?” His words were harsh, and Shiro knew that maybe Lance deserved them, but he did not. But this person was who they were looking for, and it would be hard to get him back to the camp if he hated them. “Your friend, he nearly killed me. Twice. And you have something of mine.” He thrust his hand out, harmless despite the destruction it could do.

            Shiro clenched his fist slightly, but he took a breath. “If you tell me your name and let me talk to you, I’ll give it back. If not, I’m giving it back to Lance.” The mentioned demigod let a sharp smile peek over Shiro’s shoulder. “And I’ll have him heal your back if you come with us.” The smile dropped immediately, and he was about to say something when Shiro’s glare caught him, and he shut his mouth.

            The demigod watched them with a quiet consideration, and then quietly murmured, “My name is Keith Kogane. And I am _not_ leaving Paris.”

            Shiro groaned.

* * *

 

 

            Allura stared with wide eyes, the headlines blasting _‘TERRORIST ATTACK AT PARIS INTERNATIONAL’_. There was coverage of intense flooding, a sonic boom from ‘electronic error’ and fire consuming the rest of the damage. She looked at her calendar, biting her lip so hard it bled. “Nine days left, Shiro.” She murmured, pausing her feed and zooming in to the bottom of the screen, three figures surrounded by a force that only someone from Hecate’s bloodline could see, pulsing so brightly it nearly blinded her. “You need to hurry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No toques lo que no te pertenece- Don't touch what isn't yours  
> Llevate esta lección a la otra vida- Take this lesson into your next life  
> Ese tipo es basura!- He is garbage!  
> estupido- stupid


	9. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starbucks is essentially a demigod's resting point, where Caffeine and regrets are both served in spades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fandom wants me to stop writing. But I love you guys so fuck them

            It seemed as if that Starbucks was becoming the demigod hanging spot, the way that the three crammed into a quiet spot in the corner of a Starbucks. Shiro found himself giving away even _more_ of his clothes, Keith wearing a dark grey sweater that was _also_ way too big for him. Lance had healed his back, albeit with a scowl that seemed to be an oncoming tsunami, so they were quickly seated on opposite sides of the table, Leaving Shiro in the middle. Again.

            He sighed and punched the bridge of his nose. He could swear that he was getting older, and not just because of the tuft of genetically white hair fluffing over his forehead. _These two, they’re going to be the death of me._ “So.” He said awkwardly, after buying them all different drinks. Keith had gotten a Strawberry Acai, and Lance almost got a Strawberries and Crème, but he saw Keith and got a hot chocolate instead. Shiro himself got just an iced coffee, and took a quiet sip. “Keith, was it?” When al he received was a nod, he let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly. “Okay. Keith, can you tell us why you tried to kill us?”

            Keith narrowed his eyes, body tensing even more than it already was. “Um. Because I was trying to get away from a dragon, and you got me seriously injured?” Shiro could still remember the permanent scars that scorched the pale back. “And not only that, but you kidnapped me and took me back to the place where the fucking dragon was?”

            Lance’s eyebrow twitched. “I don’t think you get that we were just trying to help.”

            Keith’s eyebrows raised. “It would have been helpful if you just left me alone.”

            “If we had left you alone, you would have _died!_ ” Lance shot back, standing up. The back of his seat screeched back, and the entire Starbucks settled into silence, staring at the three of them. Then the three of them were suddenly made aware that anyone around them could be a demigod, a spy, a monster. Lance looked at Keith, whose eyes were wide and Shiro’s tensed body and he carefully sat down again, the murmur of the Starbucks started again, and Lance hissed again. “You would have died without Shiro helping you.”

            Keith rolled his eyes, though he seemed a little more on edge. “I could have healed myself, you know. I came with help.” He pulled out a couple pieces of Ambrosia from his pocket, slightly crushed. “Now what do you want from me, Shiro.”

            The demigod crossed his arms and leaned back, sighing. “Well, for one, I want to know what the vial has in it, and second of all, I want to know where the actual _hell_ did that dragon come from. Third of all, why was it after _you?_ ” Keith shifted slightly in his seat, eyes still glaring daggers. “And don’t give me that look. You did in fact almost die. It was wrong of me to take you back to where you were being attacked, but I can’t let you go off without letting me know what on earth is happening.”

            Keith let his eyes slide down to where the golden vial was in Shiro’s pocket, the small bulge shifting in the fabric. “I can’t tell you what’s in the vial, and I can’t tell you why the dragon was after me. I can tell you who he is, though.” He looked subtly around the room, and Shiro wondered why for a moment before Keith whispered, “We have listeners.” He jerked his head over to the barista, who had been cleaning the same cup for the last twenty minutes, and to the woman sitting by the exit, her eyes flickering up to them every couple of seconds. “Gentlemen, we have to go.” Keith’s voice was calm and even as he reached out to grab their hands. Immediately the Barista’s head snapped up and he sprinted around the counter to them, and the woman by the front slammed her laptop shut, standing up and racing towards them as well.

            “I don’t want to hold your-WHOA!” Lance shouted as Keith pulled the two of them close to his own body, and with a deep breath, they were all enveloped into the darkness.

* * *

 

 

            _Hunk was there when he woke up, sunlight spilling through the blinds of the Apollo hospital cabin. His face was crestfallen and tear stained as he sat to the right of Shiro’s… bed? Why was he in a hospital bed?_

_“Hunk?” His voice was raspy, and the son of Hephaestus raised his head so fast Shiro could hear a crack from even that far. He scooted forward in his chair wildly, hair frazzled and breath shaky as he rested a hand on Shiro’s sheets. “Hunk, what’s wrong?” He tried to reach out, to wipe the tears from his face, but for some reason, his arm- his arm wasn’t cooperating. “Hunk?”_

_“Shiro.” The Polynesian man sounded completely defeated, voice raspy and face scrunched tight as he looked in horror at where Shiro’s arm used to be, wrapped in gauze and still slightly pink from bloodloss. “I’m- I’m so sorry.” He sobbed. Shiro almost couldn’t register that his arm was gone completely as he simply stared at it, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry, Kerberos was scaring me and I- It cost you. I’m so sorry, I’m so clumsy and fat and stupid-”_

_“Did he hurt you?” Shiro’s voice was quiet, and Hunk looked up in wet surprise as he sniffled. “Did Lotor hurt you after I… passed out? What happened to Kerberos?” Hunk shifted uncomfortable in his seat, looking down at the bed. “Hunk.” The soft warmth in his voice made him relent._

_“Lotor… Lotor was banished. Kerberos was put down.” Shiro took in a deep breath, letting it sigh out. “I was only allowed to stay because I told them the truth. I should have gone; I shouldn’t be here-”_

_“You do belong here, Hunk.” Shiro sat himself up, nearly falling on his side as he shimmied as best he could with one arm, wincing at the stretching of the golden stitches he knew were in his arm. “You did nothing wrong. Lotor abused his power as the keeper of the beast. You were afraid, and you are okay. That is all that matters.”_

_“But…” Hunk’s voice trailed off as he tried to reach for Shiro’s left hand. “Your arm. I- It was eaten off of you as if you were a crab at a seafood restaurant.”_

_Shiro cringed at the simile, no longer able to look at crabs ever again. “It was, yes, but I’d do it again to save all of you, than spare one part of me. If you were killed, I would have never forgiven myself.” Hunk’s eyes began to water as Shiro grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a hug, ignoring the throbbing pain in his… his stub. “You’re a good kid, Hunk, and you only did what anyone else would do. I’m glad you were here when I woke up.”_

_And just like that, the dam broke. Hunk clutched him so tight he nearly couldn’t breathe, crying into his shoulder as Shiro stared at his amputation with wide eyes. The sound of Hunk’s sobs were drowned out as everything narrowed into the gauze, the mutilated skin, the one thing that no doctor, no god could heal._

* * *

 

“…iro…”

            “Sh…ro…”

            “SHIRO!”

            His whole body spasmed into life as he took such a harsh breath in that he coughed. The ground was cold and covered in rocks as he rolled onto his left side, hiding his face in his flesh hand, breathing hard. _In, out, In, out_ , he told himself as he struggled to stop himself from spasming on the narrow alleyway floor. Lance’s concerned cries made him focus as he finally managed to slow his breathing down to a normal tempo, hand still shaking. For a wild moment, he reached out to touch his stump, but when cold steel met him, he could take such a heavy sigh of relief that he seemed to deflate onto the floor. When he opened his eyes again, he could see Lance kneeling next to him with such fear in blue eyes that he managed to push himself up and immediately get grabbed and pulled into a hug. “You scared me.” He wheezed, and Shiro let his head bury into the blue hoodie adorning the son of Poseidon.

            “What happened?” Shiro hated how shaky his voice was, but he knew he had to ask. “Where’s Keith?”

            “He ran.” Lance hissed, eyes slowly beginning to glow as his words began to become more and more malicious. “When we popped out and he saw that you were unconscious, he grabbed the fucking vial and ran like a goddamn coward. I couldn’t shake off the shadowy thingy. But he spoke as soon as we came out, said something about the dragon being the last son of some guy named Typhon.”

            Shiro sat up completely at the name. “Typhon? The first dragon ever? The father of most of the monsters on this earth?” Christ, this quest was getting weirder and weirder. He put one hand to his head and rubbed his temple. “Okay. So there’s… Orthus, Cerberus…” A shudder worked through his body as he resolutely ignored it. “…Hydra, Chimera, sphinx, gorgon, the Harpies, Scylla, and…” He blinked a little bit, eyes widening. “Ladon?”

            _Golden liquid_

            _Garden of Hesperides_

_Ladon._

            “Oh my god.” Shiro stood up as fast as he could, wobbling only slightly as he leaned against the wall. “He stole from Ladon. The dragon that guards the golden apples of the Garden of Hesperides.”

            Lance frowned, clearly confused. “Who’s Ladon? It was a liquid, not an apple. Why does this have to do with anything.”

            “Those apples were made up of Quintessence.” Shiro murmured softly. “Quintessence is the purest power in the world. It’s so rare that the only place to find it is in that garden. And even then, Ladon is impossible to shake off. Heracles supposedly killed him, but instead he adapted and grew into… that.”

            “A dragon.” Lance murmured, eyes wide with trepidation and excitement. “Can we tame it? Or does it have a rider like in Eragon?”

            “Eragon?” Shiro looked down at the practically beaming demigod. “What’s Eragon?”

            “Oh, you don’t know who that is?!?” Lance looked practically offended, and Shiro dimly realized it must be one of those fiction books that Pidge liked to read in their free time. “Eragon is a boy who finds a magic dragon egg in the middle of the forest after hunting for some deer, right? And so he was was gonna sell it, be like _‘oh man I can’t eat this’_ and then BOOM egg hatches and he gets a funny little mark on his hand-”

            “Lance, we need to focus.” Shiro said fondly, though slightly anxiously. “We need to find Keith, and we need to find him as soon as possible. We need to know why he has the Quintessence, and what does he plan on using it for? That stuff is so powerful, it’s said it could rip the earth in half.”

            Lance nodded and sighed, letting his shoulders slump before grumbling in spanish. Shiro sighed a little louder and said afterwords, “Look, you can tell me the rest of the story while we search. For now, I need to call Allura and ask her something.” He almost reached out for a hug, but instead he clenched his fingers, looking down and away as he stepped out into the open air, pulling out his phone.

            Lance was still in the alleyway when he heard a soft voice tickle his ear. “You’re the ones Keith is hiding from, huh?” He turned around, eyebrows furrowed before raising up to the tips of his hair as a water nymph pulled themself out of the sewers, shade of water fluttering before turning a strange shade of yellow. Her eyes were a deep purple, and the water around her body was mostly clear, shaped like a tunic. “My name is Nyma. If you come with me, sweet thing, I can show you where to go. All you have to do is be quiet about it.” She beckoned him with a finger, violet eyes twinkling, and Lance frowned quietly.

            “I should tell Shiro.” He murmured.

            “But if you get Keith as a surprise present, wouldn’t Shiro just be so proud of you?” She whispered right back, and Lance stiffened. Memories of Keith almost defeating him seared into the back of his eyelids for the millionth time, and he clenched his jaw as she continued to speak. “The rift between Poseidon and Hades is deep this time of year, when their children fell in love. It was around this time, it’s no wonder you two want to kill each other so bad. The bloodlust curse fills both of you.”

            “Bloodlust curse?” He whispered right back, looking over his shoulder to Shiro, who was still trying to get service.

            “The curse of the two gods. Like the play, Romeo and Juliet, sans Juliet and insert Mercutio. Romeo couldn’t stop Mercutio’s sister’s death, and the father was angry. But when Mercutio fell for Romeo and they fell together like two pieces of a puzzle, both declared war on each other and demanded Nemesis to Kill the other. She was not able to, but instead she broke them apart. Bloodlust.

            “If you come with me, we can sate it, and you can get your dear demigod’s love.” She purred at him, watching the gears in his head shift. “Wouldn’t that be nice?” She stretched out her hand, body shimmering in the snowy afternoon.

            Lance thought about their kiss, how Shiro didn’t acknowledge it, didn’t seem to understand what Lance felt. _This could do it._

            He took her hand, and the two vanished.

            Shiro turned around. “Lance?” He scanned the alleyway for a moment, but when all he saw were two solitary footprints standing in the snow and no movement around them, he felt the phone in his grip fall into the cushion of snow beneath him.

            Lance was gone.

            And Shiro had no fucking clue how to find him.

 

* * *

* * *

[Lance and Shiro Selfie](https://twitter.com/RedxYami/status/794230390902943745?s=09) By RedxYami!!!

[Lance and Shiro Selfie](https://twitter.com/maman0ra/status/792373887560450048?s=09) By @maman0ra

[Lance during Battle](https://twitter.com/RedxYami/status/796214475133071360?s=09) by RedxYami!

[Lance Before Cutting His Hair](https://twitter.com/maman0ra/status/792379649133191168?s=09) By @Maman0ra!!

I can't figure out how to put these in notes but IF YOU DO MAKE ANY FANART OF ANY OF MY FICS PLEAAAASE LET ME KNOW SO I CAN LINK IT ON HERE! MY TUMBLR IS ([NoxiousSanctity](http://noxioussanctity.tumblr.com/))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Shadyfuckr: https://twitter.com/shadyfuckr


	10. The Cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Showdown, Pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am SO SO SORRY for not posting last friday! I was coming home and then I was swarmed by family and I was so tired I forgot to post! Please forgive me!  
> Also, I'll be updating the Language of the flowers soon, so look forward to that!

            “Where are we going?” Lance’s voice was tense with anxiety as Nyma gripped his hand a little too tightly, yanking him down the sewer concrete. The water around them pulsed oh so slightly, and Lance could feel the _wrongness_ of the liquid that ran through the sewers. There was almost a… dark feeling that hung around the earth, and he felt himself shiver as he stared at the arched ceiling. “This doesn’t feel like a good idea. Why does everything just… feel weird?”

            Nyma smiled at him, though it seemed a lot less comforting than it was earlier, out in the sunlight. Now her teeth just looked… sharp. Deadly. “You don’t know about the French catacombs? This is one of them. Keith thrives in the darkness of this place, especially because of his parentage.”

            “A child of Hades.” Lance murmured, and Nyma giggled, nodding. “But why are you leading me to him? What did he do to you?” She shrugged, and Lance felt another wave of uncertainty roll over him. “And why does this water feel so… weird?”

            “You noticed?” She tossed her odd, silky hair over her shoulder, grinning widely again. “This water is tainted by power uncontrolled. It’s essentially poison to all who touch it. I wouldn’t try swimming in it if I were you. It kills so quickly there wouldn’t be any cure to stop it in time. Not even Quintessence.”

            A dark sense of dread flashed through him, and for a moment he regretted his movements. But then Nyma ushered him into a metal door, hand on the middle of Lance’s back. “Here we are.” Her voice was soft, but the excitement was visible as her eyes flashed a deep purple. “The Cage.”

* * *

 

 

            Keith felt his head throbbing as Rolo touched his back, the muscle stinging from the intensity of the Quintessense being spread onto his back. The small but cluttered office, papers and bottles filled with ambrosia and nectar littered around the tiny space, some half open and some completely full and in a cabinet, locked away. It was definitely cluttered enough that Keith felt almost at ease. “I can’t believe someone actually got the drop on you, man.” The son of apollo’s voice was teasing, not probing, and Keith felt himself relax, brushing his bangs out of his face, the ponytail he pulled the back of his locks into tickling his nape. “You’re the fastest out of all of us.”

            “It wasn’t like I was running from a typical demigod that wanted me to raise them an army. I was chasing a dragon.” Keith was definitely cranky, the heat of the underground around him nearly pulsing with energy only he could feel. Whispers seemed to float on another plane of existence as he stared at his hands, imagining the boy with the white eyes and the power to control the water around him, nearly impaling his hands as if they were nothing. He had almost _died_ , and the foe had barely struggled to do it. He restrained a shiver from pulsing though his body. Did the boy know what he had? What he was made to be? What he was cursed into? And then the man who saved him. Riddled with scars and yet still so trusting? And the skies obeyed his whims as if he were born of them. Who _were_ these people? Even when he had managed to escape the pair, the skyborn collapsed onto the ground and the waterborn rushing to catch him, he had almost wanted to… to what? Turn back? No. He would have been killed. It was better this way, running from them. He had a job to do, and being distracted by ethereal people was not on the job description.

            “Hey, why was that dragon running from you, anyway?” Rolo’s voice drifted through his conscious again, hands now on his shoulders and healing the skin that got torn from shadow traveling with two other people. “People like us are usually small fry. Why did they fear you of all people? You’re the shortest person here?”

            Keith stilled at the question, the tension in the air shifting at the question. Rolo’s movements were small, but measured carefully. He was waiting for something. “You know how dragons are, man.” Keith managed a shrug, wincing at the small ache of pain in his shoulders. “They like shiny things. You’ve seen my earrings. They glint every time I fucking move. It was bound to happen.” Keith’s hand tightened around the small vial in his hand, willing his heartbeat to remain steady. They were in the same business, not friends. He’d sell out Rolo if it meant his own safety. He was sure the sentiment was mutual.

            Rolo pulled away, and Keith let out a sigh of relief as he stood up, pulling his shirt on and putting the vial into the inner pocket of his jacket, zipping it silently. He turned to Rolo and stuck out his hand, the heterochromiac boy with dusty white hair shaking his hand with a serene look on his face. “Well, if you do need any more medical help around these parts, come and see me again?”

            “Sûrement, merci.” Keith said, clapping Rolo’s shoulder before turning and striding towards the exit. He picked up his small dagger on the way to the exit before hearing the sound of a small _snick,_ and before he knew it, he felt his body collapse into itself, legs now unable to support his weight. He crashed to the side of the cluttered dresser by the door, scrabbling for any kind of grip, breathing heavy as his eyes lidded. “Quoi?” He wheezed, panic rushing through his body as he tried to struggle against the feeling of his body. “qu'est-ce que tu m'fait?!?”

            Rolo stood over him, greed glinting through his eyes as he watched Keith breathe heavily, twitching on the ground. “It’s not going to kill you, do not worry about that. It’s a sedative.” A heavy boot pushed into Keith’s shoulder, kicking him onto his back and Keith gasped as the tunnel vision began to intensify, and the last thing he heard was “Sweet Dreams, mon ami.”

* * *

 

 

            Lance’s footsteps seemed to echo in the dark room, the bright glinting steel cage hanging only by four chains attatched to the ceiling. It looked every bit like a death trap, and Lance had had no intentions of going in there as he stepped down to the entrance, looking in only. The place it was in was built like a stadium, rows and rows of stone seats carved around it like a coliseum. The only source of light was coming from a circle in the ceiling, surrounded by the chains on four points. “What happens here?”

            Nyma took a quick step next to him, her hand on the open door. “Well, when there are arguments here, we send the two people who got into a fight here, and they get to duke it out in a safe and controlled environment. And when they can’t…” She pointed to the space below the cage. “We send them down there.”

            “Down…there?” Lance peered over, and what he saw was… nothing. Nothing at all. “What’s down there?”

            “Nobody knows.” Nyma’s voice was loud enough to cover the silent footsteps of people filling into the room, taking silent seats out of Lance’s peripheral vision. “All we know is that it’s a place where nobody returns from. Some say it’s Tartarus, the place where _all_ bad monsters go. For me, I believe it goes to the Dragon’s nest.”

            “Dragon’s nest?” He looked over his shoulder to see Nyma and all the people suddenly filling the empty room, and his eyes widened. “Nyma? Who are all of these people?” They all seemed to be different creatures of different shapes and sizes, and Lance blinked a little bit. Minotaurs, he could recognize. Some of them looked almost _human_ , and some not at all. And then one man walked in. Tall, with deep violet eyes that seemed to _glow._ He had a deep scar across his lip, and he looked almost midnight purple. He wore a bespoke suit the colour of the darkest parts of the ocean Lance had only ever seen once, when he swam too close to the edge, where he nearly lost himself in the currents below. Where a Megalodon had almost chomped him in _half._ He swallowed weakly.

            There was sound of a struggle and he turned back to the cages where he saw that guy- _Keith_ \- struggling and yelling at the people around him, snarling with such wild eyes if Lance didn’t recognize the red jacket he wouldn’t have guessed at all that this was the same person. It took four people to get him into the cage, and when he was tossed in, he seemed to recoil into himself, staring at the darkness below with a kind of horror he’d never seen on another person’s face before. He was swearing loudly, looking around before their eyes landed on each other, and they froze in equal measure. Keith’s eyes widened, and Lance’s copied the motion. That urge to attack, that urge to _kill_ was quite nearly extinguished at the way that Keith’s lips mouthed the word _‘run’._

            “What is this?!?” Lance twisted back to Nyma, who was practically giggling with excitement. “What are you doing to him?!?”

            “Oh, sweet child.” Her voice now _dripped_  with poison as she shoved him into the cage, hearing his yell of surprise. “I’m not doing anything. This is _your fight_ , I did promise you.”

            “What?!?” Lance practically screeched, but the roar of the crowd suddenly erupted into his skull, and The speaker, a strange looking man with two coloured eyes, grinned into the microphone. _‘Ladies, gentlemen, and otherwise. Welcome to the biggest fight of the year! I know a lot of you have requested this one for sure, so we have finally brought it to you!_ ’ Lance’s eyes fell onto Keith’s horror-filled ones, and he was shouting so harshly he could hear his voice cracking from across the cage. _‘You all know Keith kogane, Cursed Son of Hades and theif of Hesperides! All of you paid precious money to see him killed, and now we bring you the one demigod that can!’_ All eyes now shifted to Lance, who felt such a rush of cold sweat drip down his neck. _‘This demigod nearly bested him in a fight today, and I saw the scars he inflicted myself.’_ Lance wanted to yell that it wasn’t _him_ that did them, but he only would have been drowned out. _‘And now, we welcome Lance Sanchez, the mystery Demigod!’_ The room exploded with cheers, and Lance could only imagine the amount of hate directed at the man across from him in the enclosed space. He looked back over to him, and saw that someone had pushed him closer to the middle. Knowing nobody would be able to hear them now, Lance frantically shouted, “I don’t want to fight you!”

            Keith’s surprised look only made him push harder his words. “It was a mistake! I was full of anger at you that wasn’t mine! I can’t- I _won’t_ let that control me anymore! Please! I don’t want to fight!”

            Keith’s face was grim as he shouted, “We have to fight, or they’ll- They’ll drop us. Down there.” The way that his face absolutely lost what colour that was left told Lance that that was the worst case scenario for the demigod across from him. “I’d rather die than fall down there again.”

            “Again?!?” He shouted, but the clock began to count down. Wildly, Lance began to try and figure a way out of the situation. He suddenly remembered. The water. All around them.  _Not even Quintessence can cure it in time._

            “I have an idea!” He shouted, and when Keith looked warily at the ground below them, he clapped. “EYES ON ME! I HAVE AN IDEA.” The people around them began counting down, feet heavy on the floor.

_10_

            “I need you to run to me as soon as they count to zero!” Lance shouted. Keith shook his head, gripping his skull tightly.

_9_

            Lance felt a tidal wave of frustration rush over him. “Come _on!_ We have to! It’s the only way to live!”

_8_

            “What if we don’t make it?!?” Keith’s voice was panicked, eyes wide with fear. “What if whatever you’re planning doesn’t work and we fall?!?”

_7_

            “Then we fall together, and find another way out!”

_6_

            “I can’t go back there!” Keith’s voice screamed, echoing through the room along with the people hungrily waiting for his death. “I can’t!”

_5_

            “KEITH!” The boy’s head snapped up and their eyes connected again. Lance’s blue eyes were so, so sure of himself, and he smiled at Keith, nodding as he whispered, “Trust me.”

_4_

            Keith looked at himself, and then up to the roar of the crowd, and then finally, below him.

_3_

            His breath was wobbly, his eyes were full of stinging wetness as he tried to hide the fear of so many years ago.

_2_

            He looked up, their eyes connected.

_1_

            He mouthed, “I trust you.”

_0_

The sound that rang through the room was dulled in Lance’s mind as Keith sprinted towards him with all he had, Lance meeting him in the middle mark. Keith almost seemed to pause, but when Lance grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him close, the entire stadium seemed to take pause. Then, all of a sudden, the earth around them rumbled, and Lance looked into Nyma’s eyes, which were wide with disbelief as that familiar glow came back. “HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!” He shouted as the earth around them crumbled, and the entire stadium was flooded with water.

            Immediately, cries of pain were heard as creatures immediately faded into dust, swept away into the endless hole below the cage. Keith had crushed his head into lance’s chest, breath shaky as Lance watched Nyma wither away and slide into the hole with no emotion. Looks like she’ll find out what’s down there after all.

            Soon the cage itself began to rust, the power of the water way strong than Lance had anticipated. Keith’s grip got tighter, and Lance cursed as one ring snapped. The water flowed harshly around them like a roaring waterfall, and as the second ring snapped, Lance knew he only had one chance.

            “Get ready to jump!” Lance shouted. Keith looked up at him as if he were crazy, but quickly let out a sound of terror as the third chain snapped, shaking his head. “TRUST ME!” Lance shouted again, and when Keith didn’t answer, he quickly pulled him up into a holding position, and when the final ring snapped and the cage began to fall into the empty earth below, Lance let out a shout before the water slammed into him at all sides, pushing the two of them up from their spot in the air and out into the open sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Klance bonding next chapter, feat worried Shiro  
> Sûrement, merci.- Certainly, Thank you.  
> Quoi?- What?  
> qu'est-ce que tu m'fait- What have you done to me?  
> Mon Ami- My friend


	11. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheith Moments, Shklance Moments, things are falling apart, and coming together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS ONE IS A VERY SPECIAL CHAPTER, IT'S MORE THAN TWICE AS LONG AS MY OTHER CHAPTERS. THERE'S KLANCE AND SHEITH AND SHKLANCE AND IM VERY EXCITED TO POST THIS FOR YOU!! There's some Keith PTSD as well, adding to the Sheith moment. 
> 
> Dedicated to my Muscular Legged friend, Yami <3

            Lance was on _fire._ Everything in his body burned, ached, tore at his skin as if he were about to implode from being stuck in a too tight flesh prison. They had shot out of some hole in the ground, in a dark alley where the stars were hidden from view. Was it already nighttime? He distantly heard a voice, shaking and then someone’s hands were on his shoulders, and Lance cried out at the stab of agony that ripped through his body at the god awful sensation. The ground hurt, the air hurt him, everything _hurt_. His mind barely registered that the water that he thought he could control, that saved them, was killing him. And nothing could stop it.

            “..nce, oh god please don’t die on me!” The voice was back, and though it made his eyes water, he opened his eyes to see black hair, purple eyes and a… perfectly unharmed Keith. What the hell? “Lance, come on, oh fuck oh fuck you’re frothing, fuck.” He was, wasn’t he? Keith’s eyes were wide with panic as he looked around, and then at his inside jacket pocket, which seemed to glow a bright white. What was that? “I can’t- I don’t- FUCK!” Keith covered his face with his hands, and in an odd sense of empathy, Lance managed to move his hand to Keith’s knee, making him look up with wide eyes as he shakily managed a smile. He imagined he must be grimacing, rather than an assuring smile, but it seemed to set something in Keith’s eyes, and he looked down at him with a sense of sorrow. “I won’t let you die.” He murmured, before getting up and sprinting towards the opening of the alleyway. Lance almost felt a sense of loss as he disappeared around the corner, nothing left to distract him from his quick death.

            “…Please, I have no money! I swear! I wasn’t gonna do anything to you, I promise! Let me go!” Lance barely managed to keep his eyes opened to see Keith dragging some stranger into the alleyway, a short, stout man with bags under his eyes and two missing teeth. Keith had him by his arm and was essentially dragging him. Lance could smell the alcohol on him from where he was twitching on the ground, and when Keith looked at Lance, it was with fear.

            “Don’t hate me.” He whispered, before taking the man’s head in a grip and snapping his neck, watching him collapse to the floor.

            _Oh._

            If Lance could, he would have yelled, thrown himself back, screamed, punched Keith, he just _killed a person_ in cold blood, but instead he could only watch as Keith pressed his palm to the body’s chest, and when it lifted, gold wisps seemed to dangle from his fingertips, illuminating the horror on Keith’s own face at what he had done. What he _had_ to do. His hand was fully in the air, and it seemed like sunrays were stretching out of his hand, slowly curling in on themselves and outward, looking for something, anything. And then Keith’s free hand rested on Lance’s chest, and a cool feeling bloomed from where his hand was before it rose, and Lance felt like his entire soul was being sucked out of his body. But instead of gold, it was a poisonous purple, all of the pain that throbbed in him leaving him with it.

            He could only watch in amazement as Keith slammed the golden wisps onto his own chest, feeling them sink through his skin like a soothing balm, spreading through him like ambrosia, but far faster and better than any drink he’d ever had that Shiro had given him that tasted like his mother’s cooking. He could feel his body begin to relax, feeling safe, at home, relaxed, and he could only fall into slumber as Keith pushed the purple into the dead body next to them, his head falling to the side.

* * *

 

 

            _Deep breaths,_ Keith had to remind himself as he scrambled to slide down on a wall, the comforting sound of sirens wailing through the streets helping him gather his wits. Lance laid on his back, breathing slowed but not in any danger. He was alive, and that was what mattered.

            Keith’s eyes slid over to the man lying on the floor, eyes glowing a slight purple for only a moment, before coming completely hollow, never to flicker with life again as the body turned to dust. Something clenched in his gut, and he looked away before pulling the vial out of his inner pocket, watching the white liquid pulsing like it was tied to his own heartbeat. He clenched his hand gently around it before resting his forehead against it, eyes shut as his body ached with regret.

* * *

 

 

            _His mother. He could hardly remember her. She was from Seoul, had lived there her whole life, from what he had read about her in her obituary. He was seven when she had died, car crash. His father was a long gone, deadbeat man who loved her and left her after she got pregnant. Keith wasn’t sure if he wanted to meet him, but if he did, he would make sure he knew all about her._

_After that, it was from orphanage to orphanage, foster home to foster home, rejection to rejection to rejection until finally, at age thirteen, he gave up. He knew he couldn’t be loved, he knew that he wasn’t bright enough, wasn’t giggly enough, wasn’t good enough to be loved. And he accepted that. But he had tried. He’d tried so, so hard. He’d wanted a mother, he’d wanted a dad and maybe siblings. He could have learned to love them._

_But looking back on it now, he probably didn’t deserve it for what he was._

_The first time he ran into the underground thieves guild, he was running away from people trying to put him back in the orphanage. He scurried through alleyways, under bridges and even through the tunnels of the tube until a dead end caught him, and he could hear them coming. Scared, frightened and alone, he had gripped his head tight, wishing so, so much to be somewhere where nobody could find him. Where he could be left alone, and left to be free._

_A gust of wind gently kissed his cheek, and he opened his eyes to see a patch of black on the wall, swirling softly like a midnight cloud. He blinked, pushing his fingers through the blackness and gasping when he didn’t touch wall. He almost hesitated to go through, but when the voices got closer, he leapt through, and didn’t look back._

* * *

 

            “HEY!” Keith jolted out of his reverie and stood up, dagger in hand as he twisted, only relaxing when he saw it was that monochromatic haired dude (Kuro? Something like a colour) he lowered his knife, slumping his shoulders as he looked at the man standing in front of him.

            He looked like he hadn’t slept in hours, eyes bagged and exhaustion clear on his face. He looked like he hadn’t eaten anything or rested since Keith had left, and he felt a flash of guilt as Shiro stared at him with wide eyes and then at Lance, who was sleeping on the concrete. “Where _were_ you two?!?” Shiro shouted, and Keith flinched at the tone. “You’ve been gone for four fucking _days!_ ”

            Keith almost blinked in surprise. “We weren’t gone that long. Time flows differently where we were. It’s been about four hours for us.”  Shiro sputtered indignantly, and Keith pointed to the son of Poseidon lying on the floor. “You might want to take him back with you, though. He’s alive, but he needs rest. Lots of it.”

            Shiro looked at Lance, and then back at Keith, his eyes softening. “Did you save him?”

            Keith felt a cold sweat drip down his spine at the stare Shiro aimed at him. It wasn’t cloaked with anything, nothing was hidden in his gaze. Honesty practically bursted towards him, shining with unspoken relief and disbelief in equal measure. “No.” He said, shaking his head as hard as he could, hair whipping around him. “No, I didn’t save him. He saved me, and I returned the favour. I imagine he would want nothing to do with me now.” He walked over to Lance and gently pulled him up and over his shoulder, grunting a little at the weight. He was never that strong, always just faster. “He needs sleep. In a bed.” He walked towards the bulkier man and handed Lance over, watching the two of them relax when in contact of each other before stepping back, darkness swirling around him like an old friend. “Well. I repaid him.” He said, more to assure himself instead of Shiro. “We’re even now. Don’t come looking for me, okay? Lance did that once, and look what happened.” Shiro opened his mouth to say something, but Keith shook his head, waving him off. “See you.”

            He closed his eyes, and for a moment, fantasized about going with them, somewhere he wasn’t forced to be on guard all the time, on his toes, prepared to die all the time. It was almost… nice. The smoke cleared, and his eyes opened to see the same setting, the same people, the same wide eyed look from the son of Zeus watching him.

            “Wait! Hey!” Shiro seemed almost spurred into action as Keith seemed to reappear. Before Keith could try again, escape and get away, A metal hand was on his wrist, and purple met silver. “Why don’t you stay the night too?” His voice was soft, gentle, as if he were talking to a wounded animal. “If you saved Lance, I can at least repay the favour and get you some food. Is that okay?”

            “I’m not-” Keith began to say, but when his stomach rumbled, Shiro let out one as well, making Keith flush. “Fine.” He mumbled, and pretended not to see Shiro’s soft smile.

            “Alright. Come here.” Shiro hummed. Keith’s eyes widened with surprise before Shiro maneuvered Lance over his shoulder and Keith pulled close, an arm around his waist. Keith sputtered slightly, face flushing a dark red as he tried to push himself away before Shiro lifted into the air, a yelp working through Keith’s mouth before he gripped Shiro’s shirt tighter. “Don’t worry!” Shiro yelled over the wind. “I won’t drop you! Trust me!”

            As they flew through the night, and for the second time in years, Keith did.

* * *

 

 

            Shiro hadn’t realized how hungry he was until the Chinese food was delivered to the hotel room, and he had opened his box of sesame chicken and devoured it in half the time it took for him to even get through a fourth of it regularly. Keith only could watch in slight awe and mild amusement as Shiro wiped his face in slight embarrassment. “Sorry…” He mumbled, looking down in embarrassment. “It’s been a while since I’ve had actual sustenance.”

            Keith hummed softly as he ate some of his vegetable lo mein. “Mh… I don’t doubt it. But hopefully you’ll get better food when you take him back to your home, yeah? Dude looks like sticks and bones.” Shiro looked at him similarly to a lost puppy, and Keith let out a tiny little laugh. “Oh, don’t look at me like that.” Shiro could only stare in wonder as the flash of happiness appeared on such a pale face for a fleeting moment. “Lance would follow you anywhere, I’m just… I’m not like that.”

            “You don’t understand. There’s a prophecy that says-”

            “You don’t think I don’t have my own prophecies that haven’t been fulfilled yet?” Keith’s voice was final, and Shiro’s mouth clicked shut as the boy across from him darkened slightly, as if shadows were licking at his body, trying to consume him. “I’ve had a prophecy since the day I was born, and I’ve tried to run, I’ve tried to escape it, but I can’t. There really isn’t a way to change it, so I stopped trying.” Keith stared at his food a little bit longer before pushing it away, staring at the table in an almost forlorn fashion. “There isn’t any real point now, anyway. I’m not gonna try and change it anymore.”

            Shiro opened a small can of pop before sipping it, putting it down with a tiny _clink_. “Well, ah. Do you mind if you tell me what it is?” At Keith’s quiet stare, he felt himself flush softly. “I-ah- I want to help. Honestly.” Purple eyes narrowed, and the flush spread down to his neck. “Really!”

            Keith looked him up and down for a moment before sighing, putting down his chopsticks and swiping Shiro’s phone, typing heard from across the quiet table. After a while, the phone was slowly slid back, the bright screen blinking the new prophecy into his view:

            _A child of one will be given the task_

_To go to a place that none had come back_

_And bring forth both a blessing and to many a curse_

_That could shatter the caste and split half the earth_

_And in the end, he too shall fall_

_Mourned by the few, and praised by all._

            Shiro stared at it, eyes lidded as the heaviness of the prophecy weighed on him. “This… says you have to _die._ ” He looked up to see Keith’s eyes on the table, body slumped almost as if he had already seen his future, and seen his death. “I- but my prophecy says I take you two back to New Rome. That’s what- That’s why I’m here!”

            Keith looked at him with such a wistful expression that Shiro wanted to do nothing more than take his hand, pull him close, and tell him it was okay. But he refrained as Keith pulled out something from his inner pocket, letting it sit on the table. It was the vial, which seemed to pulse so softly Shiro could almost believe that it was alive as Keith stroked the glass softly. “This is Quintessence.” Keith said softly. “Shiro, you know what quintessence is. It’s a power that can heal people, it’s the stuff that the gods _ooze_. But this vial, this isn’t the quintessence you know.” Keith’s fist clenched softly. “This is the purest form of Quintessence. It grows only in-”

            “The garden of Hesperides.” Shiro finished, putting his empty pop can down on the table again. “You stole it from Ladon, right?” When the Korean boy flinched, Shiro knew he hit dead center. “But my question is, how did you even get _down_ there? How did you get out?” As soon as he asked, he knew the signs of oncoming PTSD when Keith’s breath began to quicken, and his eyes glazed over, as if he were trapped in some sort of hellish nightmare all over again, and his hands clenched both the table and the vial tightly, as if he tried to ground himself. Shiro cursed himself, stepping up to move next to Keith, kneeling next to him and gently resting a human hand on his shoulder. “Keith? It’s me, Shiro. Can you remember where you are?”

            “I was in the cage.” Keith’s whisper confused him, but Shiro didn’t interrupt. “I was there, and I was alone. Don’t know how I got there, but I woke up, and then- it opened.”

            Shiro furrowed his brow. “What opened?”

            “The cage.” When had Keith’s hand latched onto Shiro’s bicep? “It opened, and I fell. I fell for so, so long that I thought I had died. But when I reached the bottom, I knew I was alive, and I was in hell.” Shiro’s metal hand had nothing to do but gently intertwine in Keith’s fingers, as Keith seemed to gain some sense of normalcy as he took in a breath, jaw tightening. “The bottom of that place leads to a place called the Dragon’s nest, where Titans were banished after the war ended. It was there, that I fell.”

            Shiro gently nudged Keith’s shoulder again, and the raven haired man snapped to attention, eyes wide. “Keith.” His voice was firm, but not harsh. “You are not in the cage. You are in my hotel room in Paris, France. You are safe, you are alright, and I will make sure you _never_ get thrown in there again.” Keith’s stare flickered from eye to eye, an uncertain look on her face as he studied Shiro’s. “I promise. I won’t let it happen.”

            “You can’t deny a prophecy, Shiro.” Keith rasped, something in his brain crumbling as he felt the waves of sincerity rolling of the skyborn man in front of him, eyes lowered. “Nobody’s ever disobeyed a prophecy before. Ever.”

            Shiro hummed as he stood, resting on the side of the circular table with a small little smile on his face. “Well, I’m not denying my own prophecy. I’m denying _yours_. Has anyone done _that_ before? Denied someone else’s?” Keith furrowed his brow before staring at him with wide eyes, shaking his head. “See? There. I just might be the first person to do it, yeah? What do you say?”

            Keith seemed to like studying Shiro’s face, as he did it a lot. But a small huff of air came out from his lips, and a smile cracked from his lips. “Well, you certainly seem stubborn enough. I think you could possibly do it.” He raised his hand up and Shiro took it, pulling him up. Unfortunately, it was with his metal hand, and the two of them seemed to collide. Sounds of ‘oops’ and ‘fuck’ mixed with apologies and slight laughs before the two of them paused, looking at each other with mixed senses of curiousity. Keith’s hand was on Shiro’s chest in an original intention of not letting the two of them collide, but now it seemed to twitch in the middle of Shiro’s chest, warmth seeping into his cold palm. “I-Uh- I’m sorry.” He mumbled, looking down and away again, and Shiro coughed, taking a step back. Neither of them cared to acknowledge the lack of warmth that the both of them could feel. Keith took another step back, and Shiro used every ounce of willpower to not pull him close again. The two other people in the room seemed like magnets to him, and he was so, so helpless to their pull. “I’ll… I’ll take the couch.” Keith mumbled, turning his back to Shiro, and he carefully pulled off his shirt, revealing two twin scars on his back, like slits on either side of his spine. It seemed dented, but as he pulled the provided blanket over himself and turned his back to the wall, head lying down on the arm of the sofa. His eyes were closed, and Shiro watched him for a moment before asking softly;

            “Will you be here in the morning? I make good breakfast food.”

            Keith huffed once again, but the sound of his head moving forward and backwards, nodding insinuated. “I’ve never had breakfast with someone before.” His voice was quiet, and Shiro’s heart ached.

            “Well, I’m glad you get to experience it with us.” Shiro hummed, and before he could say anything else Lance shuffled into the room, wobbly and quiet. “Lance?” Shiro asked, hearing him hum softly in response. “What are you doing?”

            “You shouldn’t be up.” Keith’s voice followed his, and he looked surprised to see Keith getting up and walking towards the person he tried to _kill_ not too long ago. Lance let his head prop on top of Keith’s and he hummed softly as Keith grunted. “You almost died. You should still be sleeping.”

            “Yeah, what was that, anyway?” Lance groaned, letting his arms flop onto Keith’s shoulders. “Killed a man, took some gold stuff outta him, and- is that Chinese food? I’m starving.” He wobbled over to the table and plopped down, scarfing down Keith’s food before scowling. “Vegetarian? I should have known, with that haircut.”

            Shiro let his eyes fall back to Keith, who was even more stiff than usual. “You… you killed someone? And stole from him? Keith, why did you do that?”

            “I had to.” Keith’s voice was quiet, and he pushed a hand to his own chest, pulling slightly, and Shiro watched in awe as golden strings tinged with purple appeared from his chest, tightly connected to his chest. “Quintessence may be an essence of the gods, but every human being has it. I had to… I had to take it out to save him.” He looked down as the gold shrank back into his chest, purple crackling as it re-entered. “I don’t like it. I don’t like killing things. I can’t stand it. But I have to sometimes, and it kills me a little bit inside.”

            “I thought only harvesters could take the Quintessence, like any source of it. You’re a son of Hades, why do you have it?”

            “Do we have to talk about it now?” Keith’s voice became guarded, and so did his stance. “I’m tired, and I want to go to bed.” In one of his hands the vial was clenched tightly. “It doesn’t matter.”

            “Yes, we do.” Shiro’s voice was urgent, and Keith seemed to shrink more. Lance came back with a carton of fried rice in hand, chewing softly as he watched the interaction, eyes droopy. “What are you?”

            “I’m not _anything_.” Keith shot back, eyes narrowed. “I’m a demigod, I’m a twenty-year-old demigod that lives in Paris, France, and I am not an enemy.”

            Shiro opened his mouth to retort, but when his phone rang, he paused, pulling back. “Don’t think that this is over, Keith, we have to figure out exactly what’s going on.” He pulled away as Lance swaddled Keith with both a hug and the blankets, making the shorter male look like a disgruntled cat. “Allura?” Shiro called into the phone. “You do understand it’s about one am here, yes?”

            “Oh, I’m sorry!” Allura peered through the facetime camera, face pink as she laughed, a fluff of blonde hair tickling her neck as she spoke. “I actually needed to call you, because we’ve got something we’re working on.” The camera flipped, and Shiro’s breath was taken away as the camera zoomed in on a bright white… castle? Ship? “This is the castle of Lions, Shiro! Hunk and the top Mechanic from Camp Half Blood are here working on it! Her name is Alfa, and she’s absolutely brilliant! Hunk has never been more excited to work on a big project before, and especially with her innovation.” She zoomed in on Hunk chatting animatedly to a smaller woman who beamed up at him, shoulder length black hair doing nothing to block the shine of a nose and a lip piercing. One of her legs were made of the same material Shiro’s arm was made of, whirring in place as she showed Hunk what seemed to a holographic blueprint of the castle. “They should probably have it done by the time you wanted.”

            “Thanks, Allura.” Shiro’s voice was soft, and he smiled at the way Pidge winked at him from over Allura’s shoulder. “This means a lot to me, I hope you know.”

            “Of course!” Her smile was so bright; it was almost like it was daytime all over again. “Did you find the demigods again? You were really distraught when you called.”

            Shiro nodded, looking over his shoulder to the bedroom, where Lance’s lumpy form could be seen, but Keith wasn’t anywhere to be found. “I- Hang on.” He stepped into the room and was tense, Allura thankfully quiet. He twisted the light of the phone to see Lance and Keith crowded together, Lance’s arms and legs wrapped around an asleep Keith, whose head was buried in Lance’s neck, his quiet snoring muffled by the flesh of Lance’s neck. They looked like they kinda… fit into each other like lost pieces. There seemed to be a space left empty for him as well, just his size. Shiro felt his smile wobble across his face, and he chuckled. “Yeah, they’re here.”

            “Aw, how cute!” Allura cried out softly, and he couldn’t help but agree. “Looks like they’ve left a space for you.”

            Shiro hid his blush under one hand, and his eyes lowered. “Yeah. It’s nice. At least the bed will be warm. The heater doesn’t work.”

            Allura laughed before her voice became serious. “Shiro, you’re not seriously falling for any of them, are you? You know that any rare occasion where a child of the big three got with another big three child, anarchy rained. So, if all three of you… get together? Catastrophic.”

            “I don’t think that…” he trailed off quietly before pausing. He couldn’t lie to Allura, of all people. “I like… I think I like Lance.” Allura frowned quietly, but Shiro pushed on. “And I think that Keith is… someone I’d like to get to know. He’s a complicated character, but I think he is someone I would want to be close to.”

            “Are you sure?” Allura wasn’t one to question his choices, but when she did, it was of vast importance, and she could never be more valuable to him in those moments.

            He looked back down at the two on the bed, and his smile was soft. “Yeah. I think I am.” She smiled softly back, Pidge waving at him again. “Bye, you two. I hope to see you guys for Christmas, yeah?”

            “Of course.” Pidge yelled, their hair wildly curly on the pillow. “Good night, Shiro.”

            “Good night, Pidge. Good night, Allura.” Shiro ended the call and carefully climbed in, making sure not to be too close, but enough to grab a little blanket. He was content with it, and he was about to fall asleep when Lance’s back pushed back into his chest, warmth spreading through him, and Shiro couldn’t help but feel his eyes droop at the warmth the two radiated, and he nudged himself closer, sighing in contentment as sleep finally claimed him.

 

            None of them noticed the vial on the counter glowing brighter and brighter with each pulse on the counter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, things get more... intense. I figured you guys needed a break.


	12. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the eye of the hurricane, but not quite for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOO BOY HOWDY ARE THINGS ABOUT TO HEAT UP LIKE THIS ONE WAS PURELY SELF INDULGENT, BUT THE NEXT ONE IS GONNA BE A BIG WOW I PROMISE  
> ALSO! I know you all have been supporting me all this time with such a wonderful amount of reviews and such! I HAVE CHANGED MY TWITTER HANDLE TO NOXIOUSSANCTITY, SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE EASIER TO FIND ME!! Please enjoy Chapter 12!

              The next morning, Shiro woke up to his white bangs in his mouth and Lance snuggled into his chest, breath softly brushing his upper pectoral with its gentle insistence. Shiro couldn’t help but smile at the soft, unguarded look of the Cuban snuggling into him for warmth, and he curled around him, his left hand on Lance’s back and the right resting on the empty half of the bed as he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, content to go back to sleep.

            Before promptly waking the _fuck_ up and staring at the empty part of the bed, where a small dent in the mattress hinted that there was, in fact, a certain raven haired purple eyed demigod sleeping with them at one point, and that he was _gone._ “Fuck!” He was up in record time, accidentally making Lance fall off the bed in a tangle of his own limbs with a yelp as he raced out of the separate bedroom to the kitchen, shirt half on again, when had he taken it off-

            “Shiro?” His head snapped up to see one Keith Kogane at the stove, pan in hand and looking at Shiro as if his hair magically became the colour of lima beans. There was a spatula in his hand, and from the looks of it, he was wearing red boxers and Lance’s shirt (Shiro’s shirt; Lance had ‘borrowed’ it) as an egg sizzled in the middle, perfectly cooked. “What… what are you doing?” Shiro looked to his left to see chopped up fruits and perfectly golden browned croissants, and it took him a moment to blink once. Twice. Three times before he realized how he looked, shirt halfway on and looking like a hunchback with eyes the size of dinner plates. “Are you okay?”

            “Oh!” He quickly managed to untangle himself, pulling himself out of the shirt and not really realizing how Keith’s eyes twitched down to his chest, if only for a moment before focusing on his eyes again. “I-uh.” He shifted from foot to foot, jeans uncomfortably creased from sleeping in them. “I thought you left. You weren’t in the bed.” Why was it so weird to see the demigod that could raise skeletons from the ground, nearly killed Lance, saved Lance, just to kill someone right in front of him, making breakfast for them in the tiny hotel kitchenette? They were almost like two different people, twins in no way sans their looks. But as Keith pushed the plate through a small shadow and it appeared right in front of Shiro’s eyes, nearly making him unable to catch the small plate with a single egg on it with his croissant and fruit, he knew that there was only one like him, like Keith Kogane.

            “No. I haven’t left yet.” His voice was… surprisingly warm, and Shiro still couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it. “But that’s your breakfast. You didn’t wake up even when I tried to wake you, then I remembered you must still be tired from all that searching you did for Lance. So, I made breakfast instead. Hope that’s okay.” He almost made to turn around, but he let his eyes linger on Shiro’s chest for a little longer, Shiro flushing as he thought Keith was looking at something spilled on him, but Keith crinkled his nose, amusement flashing through his eyes. “And you need to shower.”

            An embarrassed flush made its way across Shiro’s cheeks, but before he could figure out anything to say, Lance appeared through the door, yawning and stretching those long limbs of his, smacking slightly before his eyes narrowed in onto the food on the counter. “Is that food? Real, cooked food? By none other than Keith Kogane, the man who tried to kill me? Eres un Dios, Keith. Un dios.” He practically ran over, stuffing a croissant in his mouth and moaning at the taste while Keith swatted at him and told him to grab a plate ‘before I break it over your head’. Lance laughed and grabbed a plate, piling fruit onto it and grabbing a glass of water, plopping down on the couch and humming as Keith continued to finish up cleaning the pan, shaking his head in slight amusement.

            Shiro was… stunned. It hadn’t been even… well… for them it hadn’t even been a whole day yet, and suddenly they were best friends? They even acted like they were… into each other, the way that Lance’s sly eye caught Keith’s and the son of Hades looked away. Keith put the pan in the rack and dried off his hands before looking over at Shiro, a face of concern shifting his features. “Shiro?” Are you sure you’re alright?” The small vial that Keith always carried around hung around his neck, but for some reason, it wasn’t glowing as bright as usual, and Shiro squinted at it, worries about the other two demigods simply fading away as he took a step forward. “Shiro?” Keith sounded a little bit nervous now, making the taller pause. “What?”

            “You’re… different today.” Shiro said cautiously, eyeing Keith up and down. Keith immediately stiffened, eyes darting away as he began washing the spatula, avoiding any gaze of the two in the same room as him. “And something is wrong with the quintessence. Wasn’t it glowing brighter last night? What happened to it?” Keith’s shoulders tensed even more, his scrubbing of the spatula more vigorous and intense. “Keith, is something wrong?” Shiro took a step forward. “Did something happen last night? Did we make you uncomfortable?” He gently rested his hand on Keith’s shoulder. “All you have to do is tell us-”

            The spatula snapped in half in Keith’s hand, and silence deafened the room. Shiro pulled his hand back immediately, watching Keith’s face contort into different emotions; Panic, Rejection, Disassociation, and worst of all, _fear._ “Keith?” Even Lance’s voice had gotten quiet, anxious, and Shiro looked over to see him sitting up, head perked as if he were a dog, and if he were, he would bet money that his tail would be between his legs. “What happened? What’s going on?”

            Keith took a deep and steady breath, closing his eyes before putting the spatula down. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, head hung as he pulled off the necklace with the vial tied to a leather cord, placing it on the counter. “I haven’t- I haven’t been honest with you.” The air was thick with trepidation as Keith looked up at Shiro, and then at Lance. “I haven’t been honest with either of you.” He put the pieces of the spatula into the drying rack and sighed heavily. “The quintessence… it has a catch.”

            “Keith.” Shiro’s voice was calm, but cool enough to make Keith’s eyes widen slightly. “Listen. I’m only going to ask once. Did you put us in any danger with what you’re about to tell us?” Shiro’s eyes were zeroed onto Keith’s and when Keith’s head dropped in a tiny nod, Shiro felt an odd sense of… betrayal flash through him. He hardly knew this kid, but why would he do something like this? “You have two minutes to explain yourself. Go.”

            “Lance.” Keith immediately turned to the other, and he stiffened as the paler boy’s eyes landed on his. “Do you remember when we were in the…” He swallowed, taking a deep breath before continuing. “In the cage. Do you remember what they called me?”

            “Um, no?” Lance raised an eyebrow. “They called you the Thief of Hesperides and the… the cursed son of Hades.” Shiro looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah. Lots of people wanted him killed, and Keith kinda freaked out about the cage thingy. Dropped down somewhere, never knew where. Was too busy dying and being saved.”

            “Yeah. Cursed son of Hades.” Keith was gripping the vial, but not tightly. “The place you were in, Lance, was called the exiles of Ladon. The people that live there are followers.” He looked back up at Shiro, who was slowly starting to click the pieces together. “The Dragon’s nest is down there, like I told you, Shiro, but that’s not all that’s down there. That hole is a giant underground tunnel system, leading to almost every bad place to be except Tartarus, because nobody can ever get that deep. Unless…” Keith pulled up the vial again, it swinging slightly with his movements, like a ticking clock they all knew was there but never seemed to acknowledge. “They have this.

            “The garden after the war began producing Quintessence apples, yes, but sometimes instead of apples, pure Quintessence would be created, and that’s what this is.” The full meaning of the words that crushed into Shiro didn’t seem to really fit into his set plane of reality until Keith finished with, “This is the Quintessence that the gods are made of. If crushed, it can create a giant, unavoidable hole right down into Tartarus. This thing can rip the entire world apart.

            “That’s why people are after me. I mean, I worked as a Thief for Ladon’s followers, yeah, but it’s mostly because of this. I would steal things on my own agenda too, hoping that maybe, somehow I could find some sort of book to destroy it, to get rid of it, to just… get it _out of here_. But I can’t. I can’t figure out how to destroy it without destroying us too.” Keith looked over at Lance, and his eyes softened. “And I don’t want to die anymore.”

            Lance and Shiro shared a look before Lance got off the couch, arms crossed. “So what exactly did they mean when they called you cursed? You didn’t quite get to that.”

            “Ah.” Keith frowned slightly, and Shiro felt a twinge of guilt at the anxiety that seemed to roll off of the shortest boy. “Um. When I uh. When I fell, I didn’t make it to the garden immediately. I actually wound up in Zeus’ palace. Where I met the Fates.” His eyes lowered. “They were the ones who gave me both my prophecy and my curse.” He pushed his hand to his own chest, and once again those golden cords appeared, glowing softly but still pulsing. “I had to make a deal with them. They said they could help me find the garden and get back alive, but I had to do them a favour. Send Ladon to Tartarus. With the Vial.” He shivered slightly. “Which would kill me along with punishing him.”

            “What?!?” Lance’s voice was loud, and eyes were lit with such fire that even Shiro stepped back. “They wanted you to _sacrifice yourself?!?_ And you said _YES?!?!?_ ” Shiro opened his mouth, but Lance just kept speaking. “Keith, you _know_ that trading with gods and the like is the _worst_ possible thing you could do. And you knew you had to die?!?”

            “I didn’t want to _live!_ ” Was the screeched reply, eyes wild with riled up emotions. “We all die anyway, so what’s the fucking point of someone like me staying alive any longer than I need to?”

            “Because we need you.” Shiro’s voice cut through the thickness of the boiling anger and fright building up in the room. “Because we want you with us, Keith. At least, I do.” He took a hesitant step forward, and Keith could only watch warily as both hands were grabbing his, holding them tight. “Someone like you is someone that we need. Not even someone _like_ you. Just… just you.”

            “Yeah.” Lance scowled, crossing his arms but not before smacking Keith’s shoulder, earning a hiss from the raven male. “Don’t be a dumbass. Of course we don’t want you to die. I still have to beat you in a fight. And in everything else. I’m bitter and want to win.” Keith almost let out a laugh, but his eyes watched the vial on the counter again, the clear liquid making his entire spirit droop slightly. “Keith.” Lance’s voice was soft, concerned. “What does it mean when it stops glowing like that?”

            “It means that today’s the day that they cut my thread.” Shiro’s blood ran cold and Lance’s eyes connected with his at the implications. “Today is the day Ladon gets sent back to Tartarus, and today is the day that the prophecy is fulfilled.”

            _No._ Shiro could feel a cold sweat dripping down his back at the revelation, and he could swear the temperature got twenty degrees cooler. Even Lance was beginning to shiver. The earth around them seemed so shiver, crumble and crack until Lance turned to the window, pointing at it. “There’s… there’s ice covering the window. Like. Really fast.” He stepped towards the window and just as he was about to touch it, a giant blue eye appeared, making him yelp and fall backwards onto his ass, scooting up as the figure disappeared, if only for a moment.

            Then the wall was ripped off, and they were all exposed to the cold winter of Paris as a giant skeleton covered in ice bent over, maw gaping as it screamed so loudly even the tables rattled.

            “Ah.” Keith’s voice was dry. “Hydros.”

            The scream grew louder.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 Sorry


	13. The Theif and the Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle begins. But some things must end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man. Ohh man.   
> Two steps from hell- Protectors of the earth

            The first thing Shiro did was look at Lance. The icy frost blew past all three of them, but the way deep blue eyes widened in what seemed like awe and fear, Shiro couldn’t seem to move his body as frost danced across Lance’s skin, decorating it like lace, smooth and chic. The demigod moved his arm and with one graceful move, the ice was flicked off without hesitation, the flakes still in one place. One landed on Keith’s cheek, and Shiro watched in awe as it melted immediately on a porcelain cheekbone. Keith narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow. For some reason, the world was quiet as the three of them turned back to the titan watching them with two void eyes. “I’ve got this.” Keith’s voice was soft as he stepped forward. His left hand began to shake, and soon there was a flaming ball of greek fire in his hand, dancing almost greedily at its newfound freedom. Hydros seemed curious for a second, but when Keith threw it and it landed right in its socket, it roared and stepped back, a piece of its eye melting. Its screams grew harsher and more aggressive, and Keith could only let a smirk flit over his face. “Go.” He murmured. “I can do this.”

            “We aren’t leaving.” Lance’s voice was strong as he stepped forward, a hand on Keith’s waist. Shiro eagerly stepped forward as well, not quite touching the flaming hand but nudging his shoulder. “We’re staying.” It was another rare display of seriousness from the boy from under the sea, and his eyes flashed a bright white if only a second, the water dripping out of an eye socket turning into steam, melting even more ice. “We’re pretty strong alone, but can you imagine if we stopped fighting each other and started fighting the actual enemies?” Lance’s hand rubbed upwards, and Shiro almost couldn’t handle the sensual but serious look Keith leveled back. “We can stop anything. We can stop your false destiny.”

            Shiro could only seem to stare at the two next to him, a feeling of almost enlightenment dawning on his face. _Loose ends_. Keith had taken Lance’s hand with his free one before looking at Shiro, strong stare softening and nearly taking his breath away. “Shiro.” Keith mumbled, hand almost alight once again. “I believe you. I think you can help me. I want…” He swallowed “I want to go with you two. If that’s okay.”

            Time seemed to slow, and the wind nipping their cheeks and whipping their hair around them seemed to mute themselves as the two in front of him waited for his words, his guidance. His own silver eyes had widened to the point they were starting to sting from the cold, but his whole being, heart and soul, screamed only one word.

            _Fight_.

            “It’s an Ice titan.” His mouth moved for him as the world began to spin again, and he looked back up at the monster. “Technically the physical embodiment of Ice, but Keith, you melt him and Lance, you disperse him. Don’t face head on, divide and conquer. I’ll make a diversion in the skies while we wait for backup.” He rushed over to grab his hoodie, realizing how cold the other two must be, Keith in only his boxers and loose shirt and Lance in pajamas, but in his haste for putting his clothes on he saw Keith practically lighting up, Green fire lighting him up brighter and brighter even Shiro couldn’t seem to look, shielding his eyes from the moment. When it died down, a dragon was in Keith’s place, raw lines drawn down his back where his wings should have been. He leaped off of the ledge, opening his mouth and a jet of greek fire exploded through his jaw, making Hyrdos shriek as he roughly landed on the ground, racing towards it with such speed Shiro couldn’t nearly process.

            Keith was a dragon too?

            “Oh my god.” Lance’s voice rang through, and Shiro turned to see him staring down at the black creature that seemed like a neverending ball of flames. “It all makes sense.” Shiro could only stare at him blankly as the earth began to crumble, began to fall around them. In the midst of a battle with a fucking _titan_ Lance was trying to rationalize things? The wind picked up around them, and Lance hid his face as he shouted to Shiro. “The Quintessence, The scars, the Fates. It all makes sense, Shiro! Can’t you see?”

            “See what?!?” Shiro shouted as loud as he could, confusion still making his head throb.

            “That guy Keith is doomed to catch isn’t Ladon. _Keith is!_ ” Lance gripped the side of the wall as he watched Keith- Ladon?- climb up the ice titan with such a ferocity that Shiro could tell he _must_ have done it before. “He’s trying to redeem himself! The Fates want what’s his face, can’t you tell? And Keith would-”

            “Become the guardian of the Garden again.” Shiro breathed, breath fogging out in front of him as his knees locked up. “Cursed to be flightless, stuck in a mostly human form that doesn’t remember. A demigod form.”

            The fire. The lack of fear of flying. The ability to harvest and manipulate Quintessence.

            Keith.

            “WE HAVE TO STOP HIM, NOW!” Shiro shouted into the air, snatching Lance and quickly bringing him to the ground before rising up to the face of the Hydros that had shaken Keith off into the ground and how had a foot on him, his roars and flails useless in its pressure. “Father.” He whispered as the clouds began to gather, and his eyes closed. “Please help me.”

            If the thunderous crackle was anything to go by, he could almost feel like a god himself. He raised his arm, watching Lance take a defensive stance, and with one strong throw, brought down the largest bolt of lightning he could muster.

            If it wasn’t aimed at the titan, he was sure the ground would have split right in half. Instead, Hydros’ scream reached a new peak, so high that not only did it shatter all the windows within a ten-mile radius, but it shattered from the sheer force of the electric shock, Lance quickly moving to dissolve and disperse as Shiro flew over to Keith as fast as he could, who seemed to roll over and stand as best he could. “KEITH!” Shiro shouted, and the dragon’s eyes lifted, eyes wide with recognition before cringing with fear. He tried to get away, but Shiro cornered him. “KEITH, DON’T DO THIS!” The dragon made a move to leap over, but Shiro met the creature- His friend- move for move, blocking and making him unable to escape. “KEITH, PLEASE!” His voice was hoarse from overuse, yelling over the storms that he started to realize didn’t quite belong to just him. They didn’t lift him, they hurt him. “This- This isn’t your destiny!” He cried out, the dragon stopping its movements. “It’s Ladon’s!”

            Black scales began to shift, and soon Keith was standing there again, practically being pushed by the wind towards Shiro. “It’s mine too!” He shouted. “I- I remembered who I was this morning. I can’t escape, and I’m sorry. But I need you to help me. Please.” His eyes lifted from Shiro’s and with a cry of ‘WATCH OUT!’ He tackled Shiro through the air, but neither of them quite reached the ground, instead being lifted up against their will into the sky. Lance’s cries of fear had them both looking back down to the ground to see a giant titan made of lava and fire approaching a rapidly shifting backwards Lance. The two in the sky were whipped around, and suddenly big red eyes met theirs, making Shiro feel so, so tiny in that moment. Houses and cars and trees whipped around them as they met Stratos, the physical manifestation of air, face to face. A roar rocked both of their bodies, and Shiro could try to get ahold of himself, try to make the winds obey his command, but the controls were ripped out of his hands as if he had given them away, and he now understood Lance’s fear of flying. It was terrifying to not have control, the way your body could fly around or fall without your control. It nearly paralyzed him. They were rising higher and higher into the air until they were almost tasting the clouds that wanted to swallow them, right above the tornado being itself, and Shiro closed his eyes and desperately tried not to panic.

            He almost didn’t realize there was a hand in his until Keith yanked him hard and their chests were touching and they were flying through the air together, Keith’s spare hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Trust me.” Keith breathed into Shiro, lighting him from the inside. “And get on my back.”

            Wait. “What?”

            But Keith left no time for questions as he shifted once again, and Shiro did as he was told before Keith began a full-fledged nosedive right into the centre of Stratos, who began to shriek as Keith did. Shiro could only yell as he held on, feeling the tornado begin to contract around them, trying to push them out, but they were going too fast. And the faster they went, the faster Shiro realized they were going to crash.

            “Keith.” No response, and he yanked at the dragon’s back, trying to stop its course, try to dissuade it from killing them both, but Keith refused to listen. “KEITH!” A cry of fear could be heard even over the storm, and Shiro had to look up and see Lance’s body turned to them at even such a distance, Pyros descending on them with a roar of triumphant fire and death. “NO!”

            He looked back down just in time to see Keith snatch something red within his teeth, hear the most heartbreaking cry of agony, and the feeling of terror as they plunged into darkness.

* * *

 

 

            “Shiro.”

            He opened his eyes to see Keith, standing in front of him. Everything felt too tight, too strong on his bones. They were surrounded by nothing but darkness, and Shiro suddenly felt too constrained, too constricted. “Keith.” His voice cracked as he tried to move closer, tried to grab his hand. “Keith, please.”

            “You know that’s not my name, Shiro.” Purple eyes were downfallen. “I’m sorry for that. It was this host’s name. They were the most recent Demigod to be able to host me, and I was thrown into their body without their consent. The person inside has been dead for so long, I don’t know how to do anything about it.” His voice was wracked with pain as tears dripped down his cheeks. “I need to fix this. I know I need to die for my mistake. The mistake that cost a little boy Keith his life. That cost all those children their lives to try and find me, throwing them down a hole with no chance of making it unless they had the gift of the gods on their sides, and then some sheer dumb luck.” His image shimmered slightly, and Shiro could feel the agony rolling off of them. “I’m sorry. I just need you to help me make this right. Please.”

            “Keith.” Shiro called, and when the boy’s head snapped up, he couldn’t help but let out a strained laugh. “See, you answer to it don’t you? You’ve been Keith your whole life, you just haven’t known you were something else before. Being reborn doesn’t mean you’re the same person as last time. It means you’re new again, and this time, nobody is going to take this away from you.”

            Keith watched him with almost fearful trepidation before pulling out the vial and stepping towards Shiro, gripping his shoulder tightly and pushing the vial towards him. “Who am I to you, Shiro?” He asked, softly, voice cracking.

            “You’re Keith Kogane.” Was the reply, and Keith could feel his chest crush into itself. “And you’re not going to die today. Now- we need to get out of here and stop those titans. Two are down, did you crush the stone?” Keith nodded and Shiro opened his mouth to speak again, but a chill of fear ran down his neck.

            Lance.

* * *

 

 

            No.

            No.

            Shiro?

            No.

            Keith?

            He couldn’t feel his feet, couldn’t feel his hands or his body, couldn’t even feel the hoarse swell of his throat. There was no. There was no way they could survive plummeting into the earth. At that speed? They might as well have been dust. Where are they? There’s nothing there. Where are they?

            Pyros’s stench of burnt rubber and volcanoes barely registered in Lance’s head as he looked at the spot where the two people he held close had disappeared, only a big black scorch.

            No.

            The smell of burning grew closer, and Lance couldn’t do it. He couldn’t control the power he had any longer. It ached to be let out, to be released into the world. He was so bad at containing himself, and the poison that resided under his feet throbbed with them, revenge on each tip of poison that weaved through the liquid. _Hate. Hate. Anger. Die. Kill. Kill. Revenge._

            Pyros was almost upon the slouched frame when the earth ripped up around it, water rising in such high waves that the sky was blocked out, and the smell of the underground fluid was dark and laced with such poison that the titan seemed to flinch away, it’s fires burning even brighter than before in fear.

            A tear tracked down from Lance’s blazing white eyes as he still stared at the ground. “The sea has no mercy.” He shut his eyes, feeling the strain of holding up such a large amount of water release as he simply let go, instant death awaiting anything under the spray.

            “And neither do I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH man.


	14. The Real Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All is made clear in the story of Ladon and the Theif

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW RAPE HAPPENS IN HERE BUT NOT EXPLICITLY  
> I made Hera east asian in here with vitilago, because fuck white goddesses all the time  
> The stranger is from a rural part of Africa, you can choose where.  
> Poor Keith. I'm always so mean to him.

            _Once upon a time, Ladon was a fierce dragon, with beautiful midnight wings that spread from sunrise to sunset. His eyes gleamed with a bright purple, and his scales glistened with power. He was chosen by the gods for this task, by both Zeus and Hera to guard their sacred apples, for he was the fastest and the strongest the children of Typhon had to offer. His ability to fly swift and true had landed him in the favour of the rulers of the heavens. He dared not even imagine failing again._

_Not after Atlas. What an asshole._

_He kept careful watch for hundreds of years, easily igniting the people who even dared to come close to his post. He would not fail again. He would **not**_ **.** _He coiled around his post, teeth snapping and eyes flashing until one fateful day, a stranger approached him. He bore no weapons, only an easy smile, and a small pouch of something that seemed to glow. “You must be Ladon.” The man spoke, skin slightly wrinkled and worn from time, but his eyes seemed to sparkle with unveiled mirth, as if he held a secret no one else did. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”_

_“Your polite words give no favour to you.” Ladon had snapped, teeth bared and wings flared wide, not seeing how the man’s eyes followed them with wonder. “You are here to steal the apples, and I will not let you take a single step towards them. They are not any of ours, they are the property of the gods.”_

_The man watched him, dark skin twisting into a strange little smile, revealing a deep, jagged scar that went down across his lip. “I am not here to steal from you, pretty snake.” His voice was deep, and Ladon almost faltered in surprise at his words. “I am only here to watch you, and to learn what you are.”_

_Ladon knew a liar when he saw one, and he refused to yield any information to the inquisitive man. He curled even tighter around the gnarly branches, golden fruits dangling oh so slightly, plump and ripe for the taking for quite some time he could not measure. And yet, not even once did the man’s eyes traverse away from the dragon, and Ladon began to slowly wonder. “You say you are not here for the apples.” He spoke cautiously, his large form still close to the tree but not as much as it was before, sliding down slightly from his perch. “Then what is in that pouch you carry? Hiding things has never been good, especially from someone who might kill you for it.” He let a rumble of fire warm his stomach, lighting up his soft underbelly, and the man’s face lit up once again._

_The man blinked, the amused look on his face still residing there, and Ladon was starting to wonder if that was his resting natural face. “I’m glad you asked, pretty snake.” His smile only grinned with sharp teeth chomped at him while he opened the pouch and pulled out… a strange looking faucet with a sharp point on the back where water would come out of. He couldn’t help but twist his head at the strange thing. Two more things were pulled out, a tiny, delicate looking white flower with a pretty yellow inside he could only imagine the sun being similar to, the one that he had only seen Atlas hold up, heaving and straining under all that weight. And the last thing was… a vial?_

_“What are those? They are not chopping items.” He said suspiciously, sniffing slightly at such a distance the man only watched, blinking at the almost dog like dragon. “Why do you bring these to try and harvest the fruit?” The man could only let his head loll back as he laughed, and humiliation washed over Ladon’s form. “I will not ask you again. DO not test me, I don’t have to be on the tree to eat you for lunch.”_

_“Forgive me, pretty snake.” The man replied, and Ladon could only roll his eyes now, as the nickname he had gotten used to almost settled over him like a blanket. “But this is not for chopping, you are correct. This is for harvesting.” He picked up the strange little faucet. “You put it in something and it pushes out liquid. Like berries. Or, for instance…” He picked up the ivory flower, pressing green stem into the hole, and pushing it in hard enough that a strange white liquid came out of it, the stranger quickly catching it in the vial and corking it, a triumphant look on his face. “The juice of this flower, the flower called Silene Unulata, or African dream root.”_

_“Dream root?” Ladon couldn’t help but ask aloud, blinking quite a few times before leaning forward just a bit more. “So, what does this ‘dream root’ do? Does it make dreams foggy and unclear, or helps you see your future? What does it do?” He leaned forward and sniffed at it slightly, blinking at the pleasant smell that came from it. It… almost looked like milk. But sweeter and more calling to his nose._

_“I’m glad you asked. This is the African version of getting your wish granted.” Ladon’s head snapped up so quickly that the full lips spread in an even wider grin at the dragon’s curiousity. “It’s a wish in a bottle. And this little faucet here can take out anything, including the quintessence from any living creature and make it your own.”_

_Ladon sharply pulled back at the mention of the power. “Stealing quintessence?” He looked at the man with wide eyes. “That’s something only the fates have control of. That’s the life strings of a person. What they make, what they grow, and what they cut.”_

_“Yes.” The man purred, Ladon not even realizing how close he had gotten to his snout until he could smell the power rolling off of him in waves. “But this time the Fates will have no control over me, or my life.” Before Ladon could snarl at him, he had stepped away, vial still resting in his hand almost innocently. “But I’m sorry for alarming you.” The man let his head bow, and curiousity warred with duty, but the former won as he finally slinked away from the tree, pupils no longer in a threatening strain. “As an apology, I would like you to take this Dream Root.” It was held out to the dragon, who flinched back in surprise at the gesture. The man truly looked sorrowful, and Ladon softly realized that this man must be at the end of his life span, and simply entertaining deluded fantasies. “But I cannot give it to you unless you have apposable thumbs, yes? I cannot force feed it to you.”_

_Ladon considered it for a moment before nodding. “Just one moment.” He murmured before stepping away. He closed his eyes and felt his body shift into that of a young man, skin as pale as Artemis’ beams and eyes as amethyst as the jewels Hades could have budding from the ground. His hair was as if it were created by Nyx herself, in the right light the darkness almost seemed to shine almost as much as the toned muscle that seemed melded into his skin. All in all, Ladon was truly a beautiful human. But even in this form, large black wings arched over his body as if he were a fallen angel in disguise. “Is this acceptable?” His voice was softer, less gravelly and coarse, and though he was naked he held no shame, only weariness. Though he was faster and stronger, he was so much smaller than his siblings, and that showed in his stature._

_But when the man breathed ‘perfect’, he couldn’t help but feel a slight tinge of blood rushing to his face. The man stood up, and Ladon almost stepped back, blinking hazily at the man he couldn’t see as well in this form. “Here is your vial, pretty snake.” The man laughed. “Or should I say, pretty boy.”_

_“I am not a boy.” Ladon couldn’t help but grumble. “I am Ladon, the guardian of Heperides and of Hera’s golden apples.” But he still greedily took the vial and opened it, smelling the sweet liquid and eyes brightening almost like stars as he opened his mouth to drink it before pausing, and looking up at the man who now practically loomed over him. “I do not know your name, strange man.” Ladon spoke carefully. “I must know who to thank for this kindness.”_

_The man paused for a moment before stepping forward, brown eyes crinkled with amusement. “My name is Zarkon, Pretty snake. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”_

_Ladon’s smooth features crinkled, for the first time, into a smile. It was a little harsh around the edges and slightly out there, but for him, it was his first. “Well, Zarkon. Thank you.” He took the vial and gently tipped it, drinking it down with one quick gulp, licking his lips as he stood up straight, waiting to see the skies, the world, everything that had been shut away from him._

_Instead, the only thing that greeted him was dizziness and the grass rushing up to meet him and catch his fall as he collapsed onto the ground, breathing harshly and eyes flitting around wildly._

_“No, pretty snake.” Zarkon’s voice was dark, laced with poison as Ladon fell into it. “It is I who should be thanking you.”_

* * *

 

_Ladon awoke to an aching backside and his back burning so harshly that he immediately cried out in pain. His sight was blurred with tears as he did his best not to hurt himself more, whatever happened. He was so sure he was flying in the clouds, seeing the marvels humans had created-_

_When he woke up alone in the garden, the tree intact except for a single apple missing, and the faucet stuck in the tree, golden liquid almost dripping out of it._

_Quintessence._

_“No.” Ladon gasped, trying to stand up once again but failing. “No!” He looked down at his own body, seeing bruises and cuts and semen, some spilling out of him too. “NO!” Humiliation washed over him as he tried to shift, to change back, but the moment he did he cried out in shock and pain as something stopped him from doing so. He looked behind him, where his wings were supposed to be and-_

_“No.”_

_They were gone._

_“No.”_

_They had been taken._

_“NO!”_

_His whole body was shaking and trembling as he tried to stand but could only crawl, the agonizing pain making it damn near impossible to do anything other than suffer. The vial was gone, and Ladon knew that he had made a mistake trusting him._

_He had made a mistake trusting anyone at all._

_He didn’t know how long he had been laying on the ground, twitching and writhing in his pain and misery, but when purple eyes opened again, Hera herself stood before him, eyes dark with disappointment. She was dressed as impeccable as always, her Vitilgo painting her skin in both day and night as long straight black hair draped down to her waist, evenly cut. Brown almond eyes watched him almost impassively. “M-my queen!” Ladon tried to gasp out, bowing his head despite the pain that sliced through his back. “I am most sorry, I was-I’m…” He paused, realizing he had no words, and let his head bow even lower. “I have no excuse. I have failed you in every way.” He bit his now very mortal lip as he tried his best not to grovel. Hera never liked whiners._

_“Ladon, Son of Typhon, You have failed me not once, but twice.” Her voice was soft, like whispers, but stabbed through him with every syllable. “And this time it is far worse.”_

_“My queen?” He couldn’t help but inquire, keeping his eyes down. “What do you mean?” He barely managed to stifle a yelp as she grabbed him by his chin and pulled him upwards, making him face her in all her wrath._

_“The reason this tree is guarded is not because of the fruit.” She would have hissed if she could. “It is the sap that rests inside of it. That sap is the essence of the gods, and any fool who uses it wrong, or a single drop lands on the earth, we all get a one way ticket to Tataurus, where there are plenty of titans who wish to acquaintance themselves with your King. You have failed me almost to the point of me wanting to kill you.” She threw him back down to the ground, ignoring his muffled sounds of pain. “But instead, I am simply going to make you wait.”_

_“Your majesty?” The pain was getting to be too much, and as he lifted up, she pressed a thumb to his forehead. “What?”_

_“You are going to do your job.” She said firmly. “And you are going to do it **right**_ **.** _I want this taken care of, and I’m going to send you to the time when he will strike. He has already stolen your wings, taking all of your flight, honour, and dignity. I’m sealing away your form too, may only your light guide your way, dishonoured one.” Her voice left no room for argument, and he let his head hang low._

_“Do not fail me again.” Hera’s voice was final. “I will have the Fates make sure you come back from your exile.”_

_And then something cut off his neck, and Ladon was no more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONLY A FEW CHAPTERS LEFT I PROMISE


	15. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro meets an old friend in a new way, and Lance releases himself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY I SKIPPED A WEEK BUT i wanted to bring a new god in, my favourite one besides Hades and Ares

            Shiro awoke to the sound of rain. Not the sound, really, more like the feeling of raindrops hitting him on the face. They _felt_ like drips of water, but Shiro could smell the storm around them, curling in his senses and nearly making him gasp his breaths. For some reason, his back hurt so much, and so did his ass, but he had no idea…

            _Keith._ No, Ladon. His memories. Shiro felt like something raw had been shoved into his head unwillingly as he sat up with the speed of lightning. He was breathing heavy, but not from his own terrors anymore. Zarkon. Apples. He couldn’t fucking comprehend all the memories in his head that didn’t belong to him. Not his legs streaked with someone else’s marks and blood. Losing something so crippling… Well… He understood that. “Keith!” He wheezed out, trying to get up and feeling dizziness rush over him until strong arms wrapped under his own and hugged him close. An ‘oof’ left him as he tried to focus on the mop of black hair pressed against his chest, against where his heart was beating rapidly. “Hey…” He said softly, realizing that it was the demigod… dragon? That was hugging him so tight. “Is everything okay?” Keith squeezed even tighter and Shiro could only sigh as he looked around at their surroundings. They weren’t still in Paris, as much as he could tell with the lack of French signs and the absence of heavy snow. He could tell, though, that they were far, far away from the fight. From Lance. A heavy chill set in as Shiro began to move, only to have Keith wrap his arms around Shiro tighter. “Lance is in trouble.” Shiro tried to say calmly, but his edge of panic came back. “We need to-”

            “I know.” Keith’s voice was small as he held onto Shiro’s right arm, his metallic limb. “I saw… I saw it?” His breathing was shaky, but Shiro instantly knew what he was talking about, eyes widening. “I’m- It all makes sense now, I always wondered, and I just never- I didn’t know.” Keith could be heard struggling to keep his voice level, and Shiro could only try to breathe. “I’m sorry, Shiro.”

            “Why are you sorry?” He could only whisper in response, not really absorbing Keith’s distressed sounds as he hid his face, and he rested his hands on Keith’s back, feeling him twitch as the scars from where his- his _wings_ used to be spasmed with the touches. “You didn’t do it.”

            “I’m still sorry it happened to you.” Keith mumbled. “If you hadn’t decided to save that kid, Hunk? I don’t think that you would have been in this predicament with a demigod dragon, and dragging Lance into this.” Keith pulled back, and Shiro could see the pupils slitted. “And speaking of, we’re gonna need help to get back to Lance, as I’m so exhausted I can’t get us there, and neither can you with this storm he’s whipping up.” Keith managed a shaky smile. “Luckily, while you were asleep, I called in an old friend. His name is Morpheus.”

            Shiro blinked. “The God? What can he do for us?”

            Keith smiled, though a little watery, and replied, “Because this guy can take any form and change anybody’s form, if only for a short time, and that means he can do what I can’t right now, which is Shadow travel. He has to copy me.” He turned around and called out softly, “Hey, you can come out now.”

            Shiro froze up as Keith turned back around as familiar yellow eyes met him, and Icy white hair draped over Lotor’s shoulders, as if he hadn’t aged a day, though his skin was tinged the colour of lilacs, and there seemed to be an almost unearthly presence about him, as if he didn’t quite fit into his skin. Lotor scrutinized Shiro carefully, furrowing his brow. “He recognizes this form.”

            Keith folded his arms and scowled at Lotor, who looked… nothing like usual, besides his outward appearance. Instead of a sneer on his face, he just looked tired and unruffled by anything that was going on around him. The mint green jumper that hung loosely on his frame with black skinny jeans made him look smaller than in his memories. Or maybe because “Probably because that’s the kid that had his arm bit off.”

            “Why are…” Shiro had to swallow softly. “Why are you looking like… him?”

            Lotor blinked before pulling his hair up into a bun, loose strands falling out like spider’s silk. “Because this boy did an unspeakable deed, which I’m assuming was your arm, Takashi…” Shiro tensed, Keith’s eyes heavy on him. How did this god know his name? “…and he paid the ultimate price by succumbing to my father for eternity. I was given his form as a permanent host.” A small finger twirled in the loose silky strands. “What he did to you was unforgiveable.”

            Shiro had to admit, it was strange to see Lotor say something like that so calmly to him, but Morpheus was having none of it as he turned back to Keith, whose eyes were soft on the other. “So, can you get us to Paris again?” Keith asked softly, and Shiro looked up, eyes widening at the sudden realization that they were somewhere in Korea, where the lights flashed and illuminated the water droplets in the language’s neon glow. They had gotten _this_ far? The gloomy skies seemed to resonate with that feeling, rumbling lowly.

            Lotor nodded. “Yes. But I can only send you one at a time. Keith, will you be willing to go first?” Keith made a noise to protest, but Lotor’s eyes on him made him pause, looking down. “You know why you need to go.”

            Keith made a hoarse noise before nodding weakly. Lotor closed his eyes and soon a black swirling void appeared in front of the three of them. Keith looked over at Lotor with soft eyes and smiled so weakly. “I’ll see you some other time.” He murmured before jumping in, disappearing into the void.

            Shiro watched the shorter man with sadness in his eyes. He knew he was going to his death, and yet he still didn’t run. Lance was a fighter; he would probably still be fighting even if he knew he couldn’t win. Shiro knew that he had to do something for them. He had made a promise after all that the three of them would go back to New Rome together.

            _“Will you be there?” Lance’s voice wasn’t loud, but it felt like he shouted it directly into his ear. The curiousity on the guy’s face had him struggling to control the blush threatening to rise. “Do you stay in the New Rome too?”_

And Keith, in his memories.

            _He closed his eyes, and for a moment, fantasized about going with them, somewhere he wasn’t forced to be on guard all the time, on his toes, prepared to die all the time. It was almost… nice._

“I can hear your desires and fantasies, you know.” Lotor’s voice was quiet. “I know of your prophecy, Takashi, and I know of Keith’s.” Shiro’s eyes widened and he looked over at the tormentor of his dreams for the last several years. “I know, more importantly, that you want to change it.” Honey yellow eyes drifted down to the concrete beneath their feet. “I want it changed too.”

            Shiro cleared his throat, eyes focused but anxious. “You call him Keith?” His voice was wary as Lotor watched him with curiousity. “Not Ladon?”

            Lotor seemed to ponder this for a moment before looking up to Shiro, smiling softly at him. If not for the situation, Shiro’s jaw would have dropped at how soft he looked in that single moment. “Because when a god or a titan or any immortal being gets reincarnated into a new form, not choosing to host another body, they are no longer their old flesh. Even humans… And demigods…” He gestured to his body. “…Cannot avoid change. Keith has changed from Ladon into Keith, a Dragon Demigod. He’s no longer Ladon. He is this form of himself. Does that make sense?”

            Shiro watched him carefully, but nodded. “Yeah.”

            Lotor’s eyes darkened with knowledge. “But like I said. I can read people’s dreams and desires. It is hard to hide the truth from a dream. I know what you want, Shiro, and I know what you’re willing to do to fix it. I can help you, but only after the contract is fulfilled. We gods are not known for our fair bargains, but this is as fair as it gets. One year.” Lotor’s words were slow, calculated. “One year.”

            Shiro hesitated, of only for a moment, before he stretched out his right hand, watching familiar fingers and palm grip it tight in a shake. “Deal.” His voice was soft, but firm.

Lotor’s- _Morpheus’_ smile wasn’t full of malice, but simple sadness. “Then it is done. You will know when it starts to work.”

“Thank you, Morpheus.” Shiro looked grateful, but his eyes were full of shadows. “Thank you for giving me this chance.”

Morpheus shook his head. “I wish there was a different way, truthfully, but I do not needto be the god of dreams to see it’s a ludicrous fantasy.” He smiled again, wilting but respectful. “Go. May Zeus help you on your way.”

Shiro nodded and jumped through a portal one last time, Lotor’s face morphed into a look of regret. Pure, pure regret.

It sent a shiver through him as darkness enveloped him.

* * *

 

 When he stumbled out, he nearly ran into Keith, who’s eyes were wider than the size of the shitstorm brewing around them. In front of them was a frozen Pyros, fear etched into its very skin. Snow was several feet high, but there was the heat of steam whipping around them. Arches of ice stabbed into the sky around the square they were in before disappearing, as if it were tearing the domain of the King of the Gods apart. The world smelled like blood despite the purity of the snow around them, and as Keith melted a path for them towards the centre, where the steam seemed to be coming from. The snow almost seemed to have a will of its own, trying to block them from getting there, but Keith’s fire was absolute, destroying every barrier in his way. The ice began to web in the sky above them, like fine strings and slowly making its way down the columns of frozen water like a spider’s trap, and fear began to clamber up Shiro’s throat like a desperate ache. Was this… was this Lance?

            The final wall of snow crumbled, and Shiro couldn’t seem to breathe as his worst fear came to be realized. Lance was kneeled in the center of the almost peaceful ice cathedral, on his knees and back arched so he was facing the sky. The frost, which was once soft and gentle on his skin now clung to him like it was a lifeline, and almost none of his beautiful coffee skin could be seen except for his face, which was frozen itself but not with frost, a tear icy on the apple of his left cheek while his brilliant white eyes did not move, did not shift. Power _rippled_ off of him like a frigid tsunami, and without even trying he had completely created something out of nothingness, a horrifying monument as testament to the fact that Lance Sanchez was probably the most powerful demigod this world had ever seen.

Before he could gather his wits, Keith had already sprinted forward, yelping in surprise as icicles suddenly stabbed at him from the ice walls, hardly being able to dodge any of them the closer he got. Shiro rushed forward too, using his arm more than his speed to get through the attack. A frost ball was beginning to form around Lance, and Keith managed to get to him as Shiro was rushing harder, faster. “Lance.” He could hear Keith for some reason before realizing that his voice was resonating with the ice around them. “Lance, it’s me, Keith! You remember me?” The ice seemed to twitch slightly with a stop, and Shiro took the moment to run faster. “You saved my life, I saved your life? I cradled you in my arms! I did! Shiro’s here too. He’s coming right now. I need you to come on and come back, okay?”

Shiro rounded into the ball and saw Keith’s hands on Lance’s face, rubbing his thumbs against the skin of his cheeks as frost began to climb up his body. There was panic on Keith’s face, but he shook his head at Shiro’s alarmed look before turning back to Lance, whose face was beginning to twitch and shift. “Lance!” Keith nearly sobbed in relief, shivering when the ice made it up to his elbows and thighs and still kept moving. “Lance, you’ve gotta make the ice stop. Please?” He brushed an icy bang out of Lance’s face. “Lance, come on. Please. We gotta go!”

“You two…” Lance’s voice was quiet as he stared blankly at the ceiling of his creation, only his lips moving. “You two left. You left me here. Alone.” Tears tracked out of his eyes only to be frozen immediately, gracing his face like body art and decorating his eyes like he was decadent jewelry. “I was. I was alone. Shiro… he promised.” A shuddering breath left him, and his whole body was wracked with shivers. “He said he wouldn’t leave me by myself. He promised.” A gasp. “He promised.”

            “Lance.” Shiro’s voice made him jolt, and his head cracked slightly in the icy choker. Keith was beginning to show his fear a lot more as the ice had reached his neck too, not nearly as thick as Lance’s, but enough to slightly cut off his air flow. Shiro took slow steps over and put a hand over Keith’s where it was frozen on top of Lance’s face. “It’s me. Are you with us?”

“Sh-Shiro.” The utter relief in Lance’s voice was heartbreaking, but Shiro hummed in acknowledgement. “You’re. You’re here?” Lance swallowed weakly, eyes lidding as the globe of ice around them began to shrink, tighten them all into it like venus flytrap. “You’re not dead.” His voice was weak with relief. “You’re not dead!”

            “No, baby, I’m not.” Shiro’s voice was smooth and calm. “I’m here. I promise.” A drop of water plopped into Shiro’s fringe, and he stopped and looked up, seeing their ice prison melt. Keith’ blinked at him and his eyes widened before mouthing _‘keep going’_. “I’m here for you, Lance. I always will be, as long as you’ll have me.”

Lance seemed to melt with the ice surrounding him, his eyes shutting though the glow was still visible. It seemed that sea witch had tinkered with him a little bit, to have his eyes glow like that. “Shiro, why did you leave?” His voice was wet, and soon so were his eyes, but in liquid form. “Where did you go? Keith? Keith, why did you guys go?” His tone was so morose, so lost and so lonely the dragon’s heart ached violently as he gently pulled himself out of the melting frost of his torso and scooted towards Lance as best he could. “Why was I left alone again?”

“We didn’t mean to, Lance.” Keith let his body temperature warm up slightly, feeling Lance lean into him like puppet with cut strings. “We took care of a titan, and we had to shadow travel to escape. I lost control. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry we left you. “

“Shiro.” Lance’s hand reached out, and Shiro took it with his human hand as Lance yanked him down to his knees, their breaths intermingling between the three of them as Keith pulled back. “Shiro. Shiro. I love you. I love you. I love you so much. Both of you.” Keith’s eyebrows perked as Lance looked at him too. “I would die without you. I need you.”

Before Keith could say anything, Shiro was surging up to kiss Lance, lips locked and both pairs of eyes closed. It was like lightning had struck through the demigod when he heard that broken confession, and with the lightning came the heat, and soon the dome around them was completely water, drenching all three of them as Shiro pulled away, shivering slightly. When Lance opened his eyes again, they were bluer than the starriest sky he’d ever seen, as if they held their own galaxy, their own secrets as he smiled so bright. “I love you too.” Shiro said softly before looking at Keith, who had a desperate stare on his face, a wilting feeling about him. “And Keith does too, right?”

A bright smile appeared on Keith’s face too, as he really couldn’t believe that this was happening, and he leaned upward to cup Lance’s face, eyes soft. “I love you too, Lance.” His words were soft, delicate. An extreme difference between his actions during a fight. He leaned in to kiss Lance, and they closed their eyes as their lips connected.

Only for Keith to jolt, ruby red blood spilling out of his lips as his eyes snapped open in surprise. A broken off piece of ice had punctured his lower left body, just between his rib and his hipbones. It was roughly the size of a baseball bat, but much sharper, and blood began to seep through slowly but gradually. He staggered away with a choke, landing on his unhurt side as more blood made its way out of his mouth. Lance was on his feet immediately as Shiro saw another icicle fly down at them with lightning speed, and soon it was shattered into pieces by lance’s fist alone right before it could puncture Shiro.

A man stood before them, skin dark that spoke of many suns and purple eyes gleaming. He wore a suit and a deep scar stretched down his lip. “Hello, Pretty snake.” Keith’s eyes widened at the name, and Shiro felt fear stab through him at the tall man’s entrance. Big black wings flapped at his sides, restless, as Zarkon’s cruel smile stretched across his horrid face.

“Did you miss me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there will be only two chapters left after this.


	16. No Sacrifice, No victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes to rise, we must first fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! So, I plan to have the afterwords posted here by the new year in about five hours. Don't worry, it'll all wrap up nicely.   
> Just.  
> Don't hate me.  
> 15 North- Andy Leech

            The first thing Shiro could register was the undaunted _fear_ from just the memory of waking up to the man’s foul deeds. The second thing that he registered was anger. Pure, unbridled, uncontrollable _anger._

            Zarkon smiled again, watching Keith’s eyes flicker with panic. “Aw, it hasn’t been that long, don’t worry. It’s good to see you again, Pretty snake.” Keith tried to move as Zarkon stepped forward, but he choked again as the pain of the ice stung through him. “You look so pathetic like this. Just like how you were in the cage with this water boy.” He gestured to Lance, who was staring at him with disbelief. “Do I need to take care of you again?”

            “No.” Keith wheezed out, and Shiro nearly vomited as memories that didn’t belong to him flashed through his head. Pain, pain, anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, disgust. Zarkon stepped closer and the feelings exploded in Shiro’s head so fast he almost didn’t notice when his body moved without registering, punching Zarkon so hard in the face that his right hand had a dent in it and the thief flew backwards, right into an ice column. Lance was staring at him with wide eyes, a slight amount of fear in the blue gaze. But Shiro… Shiro couldn’t bring himself to control this foreign feeling. This… this bloodlust. No wonder it was hard to stop Keith and Lance. It was all consuming, all controlling.

            “And who is this?” Zarkon’s voice was heard and Shiro looked up, his face blank as the man smiled, teeth covered in blood and nose broken. “Is this your new owner, little snake-” Shiro’s fist slammed into Zarkon’s face again, almost drowning out the crack of his bones as his head hit the earth and even made a dent in the ice. He coughed and wheezed, wings flaring around him as he tried to stand, but Shiro couldn’t bring himself to stop. His mind went blank and before he knew it, he was looking at a man barely alive. His face was absolutely smashed in, an arm was broken from Shiro’s human grip alone, and at one point it looked like Shiro had thrown him at the ice wall. Instead of backing away, Shiro lifted him instead as if he weighed nothing, eyes carefully quiet. “How dare you.” He said icily, slamming the man’s back against the ice again, hearing his shout of pain. It seemed in this form, even he was susceptible to pain. And Shiro was going to make him _feel_ it. “How _dare_ you speak to him that way.” His left hand cocked back and punched Zarkon so hard in the stomach some of the blood he was coughing up spattered onto Shiro’s face, though he didn’t care. He moved his hand up to the muscular neck, holding him up by it and watching him choke on air. “You stole his flight. You stole his pride. You stole everything.” He reached into Zarkon’s pocket and pulled out whatever he could find, which included the tool that removed the sap from the tree, now worn with time, and… a single white flower.

            Shiro saw red.

            He threw Zarkon so hard and so far that the wind sped up the man’s descent into the ice, the impact so loud and so violent that the thick ice snapped like a twig and landed right where Zarkon was supposed to be. He walked over slowly, the silence of the air around them meaning that Keith and Lance were still watching, despite Keith bleeding out. He had to come to his senses, he had to _stop_ and get Lance to heal Keith. He needed to _stop now._

            But his body wouldn’t listen, only answering to the echoes of pain that seemed to control his every thought. He lit his right hand, fire licking it up gently and yet predatorily as he raised it, not hearing Keith’s cry of panic before it was too late, slamming his fist into the ice just above Zarkon’s face.

            The ice seemed to melt if only for a moment, but then the fire got sucked up into the form of Zarkon, who suddenly burst out of the ice, becoming bigger and stronger. He was shifting, changing. He was bigger than last time, too, almost as tall as Lance’s ice just curled in on himself. The many webbings of his creation slowed Zarkon’s rise, but when he did, he roared, releasing a jet of pure fire into the atmosphere, clearing the skies of all clouds, cutting off Shiro’s lightning before looking back down at him. “Silly demigod.” Zarkon rumbled, though his teeth made his speech a little difficult. “Fire cannot kill a dragon.” Shiro backed up a little bit before letting the wind lift him up into the skies, trying once again to find a weak spot he could hit. He knew dragons had soft underbellies, but there was no way he could take it down unless for some wild reason Zarkon wanted a belly rub from someone who just tried to kill him.  But suddenly, a blast slammed into Zarkon, and they both looked around to see a giant ship floating above Paris. Even this far away from it, Shiro could see Hunk, Alfa, and Allura standing at the helm, The greek demigod yelling as more blasts came from the ship, her eyes blazing. Allura was shouting commands, and soon more and more shots came, raining down on Zarkon’s back as he turned to roar at them. He took this opportunity to rush back to Lance and Keith, who was now being healed by the son of Poseidon. Lance’s fingers were trembling as he breathed heavily. The strain of releasing so much power was beginning to wear him thin, but gradually Keith’s wound was closing, until it was completely shut. Then Lance promptly fell to his side, gasping for air. Keith wasn’t in any better shape, eyes closed and teeth clenched. The two of them lying there together was a sight that Shiro would never forget for the rest of his life. Instead of pulling them up to help in the fight, he pulled the two up for a hug, telling them that they’d done so well, they did such a good job. Lance twitched and shivered while Keith remained limp and silent, but they both clutched to Shiro like he was their only lifeline. And Shiro knew there was no going back as something prickled the back of his mind, and then his body. He felt himself changing and shifting shape as he pulled the vial out of Keith’s pocket, taking it in hand and clutching it tightly. “I love you both.” He kissed Keith softly, loving the feeling of his lips before pulling away and standing up, brushing off his shoulders and stretching his back.

            Keith Kogane walked away from the two forms on the ground, Silver eyes set with determination as he rushed towards Zarkon.

* * *

 

             Lance woke up to the sound of a roar. He’d been unconscious for a while, he knew, but the sight of Keith walking away perfectly unharmed had him blinking in surprise, trying to sit up but being unable to, his body was so tired and exhausted. He’d pushed past his limits as he looked over to his side to see-

            Keith? Wait. No. Keith had just walked away for some reason, why was he still here? He struggled up to his feet to look at the demigod next to him. He was still in pain from being stabbed, and his breathing was harsh. “Keith.” Lance urged, gently touching his shoulder and feeling him groan in pain, but now was no time to be gentle. “Keith. Wake up!” Foggy purple eyes opened to look at him, and Lance knew that he was the real one. “Did you suddenly gain the power to clone yourself? Because I swear to god I just watched you walk away with the vial.”

            Keith furrowed his brow at Lance’s ridiculous question before letting him help him sit up, gasping in pain. “What? No, I didn’t. I never was able to do anything like that.”

            Lance looked at him with bright blue eyes before another blast was heard and they both turned to see a giant… a flying ship? The fuck? The vessel was dubbed _‘Castle of Lions’_ judging by the way there was a giant lion emblazoned inside of a black and white castle on the side. Rapid fire was hailing down on- on Zarkon’s dragon form, the same one he saw earlier, but instead of him roaring at the ship, he was roaring at a tiny figure standing in front of him in pure anger. A raven haired mullet was visible, and a red jacket and black pants were entirely too noticeable, especially when Keith knew he himself was _still_ right there. Who was that? Was that Morpheus? No, he didn’t like fighting. Then who-

            The Keith in front of the dragon started rising into the air, right hand lifted as thunder began rumbling through the air, and Keith nearly choked on his breath. “Shiro?”

* * *

 

             Shiro could see Zarkon’s uvula as he roared in pain from the heavy fire raining down on his back. Scales were flying off of him and  hitting him in the soft muscle of his unguarded back. His eyes were red as he spat fire upwards, only to miss and scatter more snow clouds. Shiro knew what he had to do, what he had to finish. He only thought that perhaps it shouldn’t be as kind as the Fates were suggesting.

            He never did like them anyway.

            He clenched the vial tightly, rising and pushing his right hand in the air, feeling electricity coming through the skies to echo to him, and as Zarkon opened his mouth again, gas ready to ignite in his mouth, Shiro looked at him with such calm rage that Zarkon didn’t realize what Shiro was going to do until it was too late.

            He dropped the vial down Zarkon’s throat, and with a single move he shoved lightning directly into his throat, igniting the gas and making the quintessence inside explode.

            The result was immediate. Zarkon’s body immediately began to collapse in on itself, and since he was a smaller target, the castle of lions missed him, accidentally shooting Shiro down from the sky. It hurt, everything burned, but Shiro could relax knowing that his job was almost done, he was almost finished helping the two demigods that had managed to help him so much.

            He landed on the ground with a rough cough as hair got into his mouth and he brushed it away before standing up weakly, feeling the pressure of a black hole even from this far away. Zarkon’s roars had turned into weak cries as he was torn apart from the inside out, and Shiro attempted to take a step back, only to have a giant claw sweep him from below in a reckless move. Zarkon collapsed onto the ground and soon was no more as the earth opened up, revealing a giant hole that Shiro knew to only be one place. He didn’t try to run, he knew that the only way that it would close was if Keith was sucked up too, and this was his chance. This was his chance to be the hero Hunk believed in, Allura believed in, Pidge believed in. That Keith and Lance believed in.

            He stood his ground, and let the hole widen and make the earth beneath his feet disappear. As he began to fall, however, strong hands wrapped around his right wrist, and he looked up to see Keith grabbing him with all his might, face pale in pain and ice wrapped around his ankles, barely keeping him from falling in too.

            “Keith.” Shiro’s voice was soft despite the way he dangled off the edge of a hole leading straight to Tatarus. His eyes were so soft, so full of love, and it was slowly killing Keith, giant globs of tears dripping out of his eyes while he grabbed onto Shiro as hard as he could, Lance holding onto Keith with all the strength he could muster, but he was already drained from the explosion of power earlier and from healing his wound that still ached so terribly. The castle of lions was supposed to be landing any second, where was it?!? “You need to let go.”

            _“NO!”_ He screamed, his arms aching, his mind breaking, his breaths shaking. “I’m-NO! I can’t- You- I won’t let you fall!” He strengthened his grip on Shiro’s bionic hand, nearly crushing it. “I won’t let you leave us.” The pull of the earth’s personal hell was so, so strong, but Keith felt that the pressure of his heart shattering into a million pieces was far worse. “Please.”

            “I promised you!” Shiro called up, making the dragon’s eyes widen. “I promised I would get you out of it.” He smiled again, making Keith’s mind reel. “And I am.”

            “NOT LIKE THIS!” Keith’s voice was hoarse from crying and shouting, but he did it anyway. “NEVER LIKE THIS! YOU PROMISED LANCE! YOU SAID YOU’D BRING HIM BACK TO NEW ROME! YOU SAID YOU’D NEVER LEAVE AGAIN!” His face was red and blotchy, midnight scales reappearing on his face from the strain. “I can’t-” he choked. “We can’t do this without you. We need you. We can’t do this without you. _Please._ ”

            Shiro looked up to Keith in wonder, a dragon and the most powerful demigod in the world fighting everything to get him back, to keep him in their arms, to save him and keep him protected. He had this to look forward to when he came back.

            _Just one year._

            “It’s just one year.”

            _I’ll be back soon._

            “I’ll be back soon.”

            _I Love you._

            “I love you.”

            _I love you both so much._

“I love you both so much.”

            “Shiro.” Keith was crying now, weeping and a tear landed on Shiro’s scar from all those years ago. “Shiro. Shiro shiro shiro shiro please please please don’t do this _please don’t do this don’t leave us here alone-”_ Lance’s shouts could be heard too, Screams and pleas for Shiro not to do this, not to break his promise again. “I love you, okay?!?” Keith was practically voiceless now, but the words shot through him like a bullet. “I love you too, I love you and I need you here with me, with us. Please, Shiro!” He gasped for breath. “Please.”

“I’m sorry.” Shiro murmured before reaching up with his flesh hand and disengaging his bionic arm from his stump, feeling the poisonous wind wrap around him as the scream of a dragon and the cries of the earth herself accompanying his descent into darkness.

            “Just one year.” He whispered into the empty space around him, curling into a small ball and finally allowing himself the tears he spared the others. “It’s only going to be just one year.”

            And he fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sw e a t


	17. Afterwords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one year Keith and Lance had to live without Shiro, and the day that Shiro comes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS IT!!! The last chapter. I'm SOOOO THANKFUL that all of you decided to stay and read this through until the end. It really means a lot to me to see all of you enjoying this so much. I really wanted this to leave a sort of open ending for interpretation for you all, and I hope that it suits your tastes. It's long, I know, but I wanted to put detail into it. This has been a wild ride from start to finish, and I thank ALL OF YOU for being so kind to me. I plan on writing one more Shklance AU, from Lance's POV that concerns the mafia and moral ambiguity. Thank you so much, really! And I hope that you stay tuned for the last one in this trilogy!

**Yule  
**

            The earth was scorched black from a dragon’s mad scrabbling at the earth, digging and burning, digging and burning. Over his cries of rage there were the wails of anguish. A demigod could only watch from afar, sagging onto the snow and barely being able to keep his head up. He was so dizzy, so dizzy, where?... He clutched his head and for a second, everything seemed okay if he just… if he just shut his eyes. If he just ignored the warbling cries of an ancient being sitting in his own burnt masterpiece, roaring at the sky he lost, at the clouds and sun he’d never look at the same ever again. He should… he should just…

            “Rest.” A voice was heard next to his ear, but instead of calming him it woke him back up. A stranger with white hair and golden amber eyes walked past him, someone unfamiliar as a stranger but made him think of his family, of cloudy restless memories that only terrorized him in his sleep. “Keith.” The stranger called out, and the dragon’s head snapped down, at first with shock, but when it took in who was standing there, rage. His pupils slitted and at a breakneck speed he charged the man, opening his mouth and blasting him with as much fire as he could muster. If it were any other situation, the way that the fire seemed to be blocked and shot into the air could only be described as beautiful. But now, when Keith snarled and kept firing and firing until he was close enough to pounce on the man, Lance cried out in fear. Was he really going to kill this man? But somehow with a single push of the man’s hand, he was shoved off violently, slamming into the snow. “Control yourself, Keith.” The man spoke again, breath curling from his mouth. “Don’t act like this.”

            Where there was a dragon now was a human, smoke curling from his mouth with tear stained cheeks pinched in agony. “You.” His voice was like a match lighting on fire, like burning firewood and as dark as coal. “You helped him do that STUPID stunt, didn’t you?!? Taking my place?!? Why the _fuck_ \- I was ready! I wasn’t going to run! I already accepted I was going to die! Why did he have to take my place?!?” Fresh tears rolled down an angry demigod’s face. “Why would you let him do that?!? Wh-why…” A hiccupping sob nearly choked the air out of him and he slapped a hand over his own mouth before falling to his knees, hiding his face in his hands before falling onto his side, trying to muffle his sounds as best he could. Lance tried to stand, but his legs were so, so weak. Beside him laid a metal limb, lifeless in it’s memories.

The man turned from Keith’s sobbing form and walked over to Lance, kneeling down and taking his hand. “Hello.” Golden eyes flickered over Lance’s wide eyed stare, in such a state of shock there was nothing he could do but listen. “My name is Morpheus. I’m the god of dreams.”

Lance could do nothing but weakly laugh, jaw trembling. “Well.” He managed to wheeze out. “This is one hell of a nightmare you’ve put us in.” Morpheus studied him for a little bit, and Lance had to tear his eyes away from such a knowing stare. “Why?” His voice was wet, but he had to know. “Why him? Why any of us? Couldn’t we all just be… be happy?”

“That’s what you want most of all, Lance, I know.” The demigod jolted back at the words. “I’ve seen your dreams, as well as Shiro’s and Keith’s. You wanted, at first, to be reunited with your parents and siblings, yes?” Morpheus sat criss cross in front of him, still holding his hand palm up. “But it’s changed. You dream of having a home with the other two. Of being safe and warm in New Rome.”

Lance’s voice wobbled. “Stop it.”

“That’s Keith’s dream now too. You two can go now, and you can start on your home. Build it up for a year, make it ready for him to come.”

Lance took a heaving breath, letting his head droop as he desperately tried to keep it together. They were all so _tired_ , tired of suffering for the fate of the apparent world around them. He wanted to be selfish. He wanted to care about himself for once. As Morpheus spoke about it, he could see it. A small flat, nothing special. Laundry drying out on the wires, radio playing lazily an old song that Lance could hum to while cooking breakfast. Shiro was a heavy sleeper, no doubt he would still be asleep at that time in the morning. Windows, lots of windows. Kissing Keith on the cheek as he snatched some food from the plate. Shiro finally stumbling out of bed, making all three of them some tea and lounging around for a good part of the morning. Being near the beach. Having a real family.

And that was taken from him now. “What did you do to Shiro?” He whispered. Morpheus looked a little taken aback at the question, but blue eyes flashed at him. “Tell me.”

The god paused, before scooting a bit closer. “Shiro knew that without sacrifice, there would be no victory. He knew the only way to get through this was for Keith to fall down into Tartarus. But. He took Keith’s form. I could do that for him. But the catch is I can only come down and get him in one year. I can’t go any time sooner than that.”

“Why?”

“Because today’s the winter solstice.” Morpheus replied, looking morose. “My power is greatest today, because it’s the shortest day, where people sleep the longest. The day has already passed, and I cannot get him. But I can in a year. I can get him back in a year. I just need you and Keith to prepare for him coming back. He’ll need all the comfort he can get.”

“Do you promise?” Lance’s eyes were soft, but there was an edge of hardness on them, taking Morpheus aback. “Do you promise you’ll bring him back? Do you swear on the river Styx?”

The god furrowed his brow. “How do you know what that is?”

“Swear it.” Lance bit out, tightening his grip on Morpheus’ hand. “Swear it to me. On the river Styx.”

The god sighed, but nodded, whispering his oath into Lance’s ear before pulling back. “Now go gather your dragon.” He murmured, his form slowly turning into mist. “He’ll need you too just as much as you’ll need him. Watch over each other.” And then the god disappeared, leaving Lance alone with his scattered thoughts. A hand placed itself on his shoulder, and he looked over it to see a woman with pinkish blue eyes and icy white hair.

“My name is Allura.” She said softly, and Lance could only laugh.

“Shiro was right. You do fit the name.”

 

**Christmas Day  
**

            New Rome was beautiful, even through Lance’s blurry gaze. It was a city, to say the least, as a person named Pidge explained to him what they had access to. A pool, the beach, a gym, observatory, and all these other things Lance couldn’t bring himself to listen to. He didn’t care to notice the way that Pidge and Allura shared a worried look as Keith took a step outside towards the balcony, the wind whipping his hair back as he watched the ship land, not a word being spoken from him. The dark circles were nearly startling against his pale complexion, but they didn’t say a word about it as they were led to a small apartment that looked like the one from the old Sherlock Holmes series Lance’s mother used to read to him. A feeling of sentimentalism rushed over him as he opened the door to their apartment, three floors all to themselves. One for the each of them, he jokingly thought as he turned to Keith, pausing at his empty stare burning into the wooden floors. A man named Hunk appeared hesitant behind the two of them, pulling at the ends of his headband. “Yeah, well, uh, I had built this for Shiro, so it’s also uh… it’s also yours now if you want it.” He pulled out a small card. “This is also Shiro’s money, and since I assumed you three were…” He trailed off. “Just don’t spend all of it on a new flying car, and we’ll be okay.”

            “Thank you, Hunk.” Lance managed weakly, taking the card and putting it in Shiro’s parka that he still wore. “It means a lot.” He tried to pull away but suddenly he and Keith were pulled into a strong hug by the Polynesian man, who hid his face in between Keith’s and Lance’s shoulders. “Hunk?” Lance managed to wheeze out. “What are you doing?”

            “I-” Hunk choked out, his warm arms squeezing just a little bit more. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for your loss. I really am.” Lance could feel his heart squeezing just as painfully, nobody had said anything about it out loud before. Nobody except Hunk. Hunk was the only one who acknowledged what happened. “Shiro was so good, so kind and so wonderful. You two must have seen it. I know he’ll be back in a year, but-” Hunk shuddered and Lance felt something wet drip onto his neck. “But I know it’s already so hard on you two, and please just know that I’m here. I’m here as long as you’ll need me. I’ll listen, I’ll help, I can do whatever you need me to. I’m here.”

            Lance felt some thin piece of his control snap and he gripped Hunk’s arm tight, hiding his face in his arm and letting go. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. He didn’t just cry; he bawled, he cursed everyone, he shouted and refused to let go until he was so exhausted he could barely stand up. That was finally when Hunk knew to let go, as if he’d done this before. “Thanks.” Lance said again, actually putting the feeling behind it, and Hunk nodded, wiping his own tears from his face. “Thank you, Hunk.”

            “No problem.” He replied as happily as he could, hugging both of them one last time before letting the door shut behind them, the silence back. Lance stared down the hallway towards the kitchen before turning to look at Keith, who was still lifeless. “Hey.” Lance said softly, and Keith flinched at Lance’s voice before looking up to him. “If you want, I can make some Ropa Vieja? It’s a comfort food my mama used to make.” He tried his best at a smile. “And between the two of us? We could probably use it.”

            Keith watched him for a while before doing his best to smile, making it look more like a grimace. Lance couldn’t help but cough out a laugh at the absolutely bizarre way of smiling the other had. “What?!?” Keith cried, smacking his shoulder and only making Lance laugh harder at his indignant squawk. “It’s not funny!”

            Lance wiped a tear from his eye as the giggles died down before leaning in and kissing Keith on the forehead, hiccups of laughter leaving him as Keith stopped breathing entirely. “Come on.” He giggled out. “We gotta go buy the groceries.”

 

**New Year's Eve  
**

            They seemed to fall into a sort of pattern. First they went and bought clothes, furniture and other assorted items. Turns out, Shiro came from a rich family, and having been a well paid pilot, Lance wasn’t even sure if he could blow a fourth of the money if he tried with all his heart.  He managed to buy them a nice king sized bed along with some leather furniture. The kitchen was already state of the art, so he just bought a lot of cleaning items and dishes and such. Keith spent a lot of time at the Gym, so much that he was beginning to get a sort of fanclub of both boys and girls. Lance was positive it was because of either A, Keith was a dragon and most people had never seen them before, or B, he was a child of Hades. Probably both. He chuckled to himself as he stepped out onto the beach, taking in a deep breath as he felt the sand between his toes before rushing into the water, jumping in and letting it swirl around him and take him in as if he never left. He let it fill him and pull him with its coursing power, closing his eyes as he sank deeper and deeper into the water, feeling it swish and sway with his body.

            Yes, this was where he was at peace. No upper world, no people to bother and disturb him, just him, the fish and the algae. Perfect.

            He was tempted to stay, but knew that he had to go back up. Luckily for him, the beach was only a small walk away, and he rose to the surface slowly, letting the saltwater linger on his skin for just a little longer before stepping onto the sand, running a hand through his hair and gathering his clothes as he looked up at the night sky, glittering despite the light pollution. Was he really gone that long? He shrugged as he made his way back to the house, unlocking it and opening the door to see an absolute mess around him, yelling heard. Hunk had been coming around every day, and he and Lance had gotten really close. So why was there yelling and the sound of dishes clattering to the floor?

            “WHOA!” Hunk’s voice could be heard as Lance rushed up the stairs to their bedroom to see Hunk chasing around a black lithe creature jumping off of walls and making noises of panic. “Holy shit- Keith! Oh man, Lance is gonna lose his shit-” Hunk turned around and saw Lance staring at the dragon with claws in the wall trying to smell him. “Keith! Keith! Look! It’s Lance!”

            The dragon’s head lifted immediately, pupils widening into circles as it practically launched itself at Lance, making him yelp as the dragon shifted forms and tackled Lance to the ground, making Lance drop all of his things on the ground next to him as Keith hugged him so tightly that Lance nearly couldn’t breathe. “Keith, what- Hey!” He smacked Keith’s head, scowling. “¿Qué estás haciendo, lagarto loco?”

            “You left.” Keith mumbled into Lance’s shirt. He almost sounded… embarrassed by the way that he reacted. “Didn’t know where you were.”

            “What do you mean, I left- Oh.” Lance realized quickly what he meant. It had only been a week. They were both reeling from it still. “Oh. _Oh._ ” He wrapped his arms around Keith and squeezed tight, Hunk watching with eyes. Lance mouthed an apology to him and carefully ran his hand through Keith’s hair. “We should probably get cell phones.” Lance mumbled, and Keith nodded. “That would probably make things easier.”

            “Sorry for tearing up the walls.” Keith mumbled, and Lance looked up to the perfect holes in the wall where his claws had cut through. “I didn’t mean to.”

            Lance couldn’t really do anything other than laugh. “I think it gives the room character.” Keith’s huff of air was a silent agreement as they laid on the wooden floor for just a little bit longer. “Hunk are you staying for dinner?”

            Hunk perked, and his stomach growled. “Uh. Yes please.” He laughed nervously, and Lance laughed again, enjoying the feeling of solitude washing away like the waves on the beach. It was better to be surrounded by people who loved him than water that isolated him. “Dinner sounds great.”

**Valentine’s Day**

            Lance came home from school to a bouquet of flowers being thrusted into his face. Roses of all colours popped out of the wrapping, and Lance looked nothing but puzzled as he looked over and saw Keith wearing a collared shirt and black jeans, face absolutely on fire as he looked down. “Uh.” He coughed, and Lance couldn’t help but smirk. “Happy Valentine’s day.”

            He took the bouquet and kissed Keith on the lips, noticing that Keith’s hair was actually in a small pony tail. His hair really grew at breakneck speeds, and it wasn’t like Lance’s was any better. “Aw, thank you, Lagarto.” Keith scowled at the nickname as Lance put his backpack down in the foyer and put the flowers in a vase, rubbing a thumb against one of the petals. On the table was a letter from Hunk, and Lance picked it up and opened it, taking in a deep breath. There was a photo of Shiro laughing with an arm slung around Hunk’s neck. He flipped it over and saw that it was from Last year’s Valentine’s day, where the two of them enjoyed the time they had to themselves at a karaoke bar. Lance smiled at the picture fondly and put it next to the flowers before turning back around and walking to Keith, wrapping his arms around Keith’s waist. “So, anything special planned?” He hummed, swaying Keith’s hips as Keith turned around and wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck. “Unless you dressed up that nice just to be a tease.”

            “Uh. Nope.” Keith smiled. “We’re going to Baccus’ Paradise for dinner tonight. It’s all on me.” Keith had gotten a job at the local forge, providing fire and removing burning pieces of metal that would otherwise get stuck to the metal of the hearth. It paid very well. Being immune to flames had it’s perks. Hunk especially appreciated it, as much as the other Children of Hesphestus.

            Lance laughed and kissed him again, feeling Keith’s arms wrap a little bit more around Lance’s neck before pulling away. “What a precious little lizard. Of course.” He pulled away and grabbed his backpack before racing up the stairs, changing into something similar but with a black vest accentuating his blue shirt. He bounded back down the stairs, leaping and yelling as Keith yelped and caught him before he could fall on the ground, swinging him around with a huff of laughter. “We have reservations, darling.” Lance hummed, kissing him on the nose. “Let’s go.”

            Pidge, Allura, Hunk and Shay met them there, as they all had the same idea, so they had a triple date, and if anyone noticed Keith holding Lance’s hand under the table as they all ate, nobody said a thing.

 

**St. Patricks day.**

“So you’re telling me.” Keith said, arms crossed as Lance bounced around excitedly. “That there’s a holiday _purely_ for drinking. Because it’s irish.”

            Lance’s head bounced up and down as if he were a bobblehead. “Yeah! Saint Patty’s day! At least, that’s what my older sister said it was. She’d lived in America for a while in college before she came with us on holiday.” Lance winced at the sudden memory of that… incident. The Holiday. He tried to shake it off. “So we have to go to an irish Pub, and we get to drink! I’ll pay since you paid for dinner on Valentine’s.” Lance smirked. “Which was super cute, by the way. Ten out of ten would do again.”

            “Hush.” Keith grumbled before standing up, fixing his jacket and putting his hair into a ponytail. “Is it just going to be us? I’m not sure about if it’s supposed to be just a together thing or a group thing.”

            Lance couldn’t help but snap a picture of Keith in focus while he was putting his hair up and posting it to his Snap story. Keith scowled, and Lance laughed. “We can always go with them, if you want. Have you ever been drinking?”

            Keith looked down and away. “No. Kinda didn’t like drinks unless I fixed them myself because of the whole deal downstairs, even if I couldn’t remember it. You?”

            Lance laughed nervously, but shook his head. “Nope. Looks like we’ll be experiencing a whole new thing together again!” Keith looked anxious, and Lance softened before taking his hand. “Hey. If you don’t want to, you don’t want to. I’m not gonna force you to do this.”

            Keith shook his head, managing a smile. “I want to, I’m just a little anxious. But if I’m with you guys, it should be fine, yeah?” Lance positively beamed at him, and Keith managed an actual smile. “Come on. Let’s go.”

            Lance laughed as he grabbed Keith’s hand and dragged him to their car, a black and white little thing that they jokingly named spot. It vaguely reminded them of Shiro’s hair.          

            The next morning, Keith and Lance woke up with the most blinding headaches that they could possibly ever have had. Lance clutched his head and groaned, trying to sit up but there was an arm thrown across his torso. He looked over to see Keith laying on his stomach, facing away from him. For some reason, Lance’s eyebrow _throbbed_ and he touched it, breathing stopping when he felt something cool and metal chilling in the skin. “oh Mierda.” He whispered before yanking himself out of bed, wobbling slightly as he rushed to their bathroom to see- _holy shit. He got his eyebrow pierced._ “Keith.” He whispered, stumbling back and rushing back into their room. “KEITH!”

            The dragon in question grumbled as he shifted slightly onto his elbows and twisting to look at Lance. “Whaf.” He grumbled, blinking as Lance practically fell off of the bed. Keith was… Keith was in makeup. Contour, eye shadow, fake eyelashes, the whole fucking works. What he assumed was red lipstick was mostly off of his face and onto the pillow, and a little of his eye shadow was smudged, but in any other context, he would immediately had guessed Keith was a very, very hot woman. Keith winced. “My tongue hurfs.” He tried to sit up and something could be heard clicking against his teeth as Lance froze. No. No way.

            “Keith.” Lance whispered very quietly. “Stick out your tongue.”

            Confused, Keith did so, and Lance’s eyes widened so much they could be mistaken for plates. Keith’s tongue was pierced. Keith’s tongue. Was pierced. “You. Your tongue.” Lance couldn’t find words as Keith stared at him for a moment before sticking his tongue out farther, making Lance practically whimper as he saw just how long Keith’s tongue was. “You pierced. Your tongue.”

            Keith stared at it for a little while before scrambling for the bathroom, Lance’s laughs echoing through the tiled room as Keith shrieked at the discovery of both his face AND his tongue.

            Later Lance got sent a text with photos, and a video of Keith explaining to the piercer that he had no ID because he was over one thousand years old and they didn’t really do ID’s back in the day.

            Lance saved all of them, and even sent some to Keith, who groaned loudly.

 

**Easter**

            Keith had never been a huge fan of church, but when Lance insisted, even though their parents were both from greek godhood, he didn’t deny him. He sat through a sermon, and watched Lance more than anything doing his prayers and pray to a god that his mother believed in. He wondered if Lance still believed in God, or anything other than the things he’d seen firsthand.

            He asked Lance about it later when they were both in bed, looking out the open window that showcased the beach, and Lance pondered it for a moment before responding. “Sort of. My mother believed in him, and so do I. It’s nice to think that there’s somewhere that my whole family is comfortable and happy, even if it doesn’t align with what we’ve known and seen.” Keith scooted closer to Lance and curled around him, kissing his shoulder blades as Lance continued. “And besides. Jesus in the stories beat death and came back. I hope Shiro can too.”

            Keith paused, wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist. “A year is a lot more than three days.”

            Lance nodded, his hair spreading against the sheets like a flower blooming. “I know. But he still did it, didn’t he? All we can really do now is hope.”

            Keith didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything, kissing Lance’s neck and keeping them both in good company.

 

**May 3 rd, Lance’s birthday.**

            Lance woke up to the smell of burning pastries and yelling. Hunk was obviously downstairs and judging by the panicked sounds, Keith was too. He was racing down the stairs before he knew it, skidding through the foyer and into the kitchen to see Keith holding what looked to be a burnt cake and Hunk holding a perfectly made chocolate cake. “I told you, Keith.” Hunk tried to explain with a wheezed breath. “You can’t… you can’t roast a cake. It’s… It’s not.” Giggles started to come out of the man’s mouth as Keith lit up in embarrassment.

            “I just thought if baking it for ten minutes at 300 degrees was too long, why couldn’t I cook it for one minute at three thousand degrees?” He grumbled, staring at the charred pan in his hands. Lance could only look at him, stupefied.

            “Um. Because chemistry doesn’t work like that.” Both of the people in the kitchen jolted and turned to see Lance leaning against the doorway with a smug little smile. “But it’s good to see you attempting anyway.”

            Hunk smiled brightly and before Lance could do anything he was lifted into a giant bearhug, cake put down on the counter. “Happy birthday, Lance!” He practically cried into the smaller man’s ear. “I’m really glad you were born!!!” Lance could see Keith waving slightly over Hunk’s shoulder, mouthing the same sentiment to his partner.

            _‘I’m glad you were born.’_

            Lance closed his eyes and hummed, hugging Hunk back. _Me too._ He pulled back and grinned. “So! Cake for breakfast anyone? I think Keith’s cake looks delicious.”

            Keith jolted and looked around nervously. “I-uh- I burnt it. I don’t think that-”

            “Nonsense!” Lance bellowed as he snatched up a fork and stabbed it into Keith’s cake, pulling out a chunk and swallowing it down eagerly. If he thought it was disgusting, he made no note of it as he ate more and more. “Not bad!” He laughed at Keith’s and Hunk’s stares of incredulity. “Dig in everyone!”

            They all had stomachaches the next day.

**Independence day**

            A lot of people who lived in America celebrated this, so it wasn’t surprising that the two of them found themselves at the beach with all the other demigods, watching Hunk flirt with Shay while setting up fireworks, Allura and Pidge holding hands and walking down the beach and Keith and Lance just sitting on the docks, both eating ice cream and watching the community around them with a sigh. “I wonder if Shiro had any friends we don’t know about.” Keith mumbled as he practically inhaled his ice cream, making Lance grimace as he took his sweet time. “Maybe he’ll be able to introduce us when he comes back.”

            Lance smiled as Keith laid his head on the demigod’s shoulder, scooting closer and just enjoying the proximity. Lance was wearing his blue swimsuit and Keith was wearing a red pair, a black tank top covering his chest. He’d been complaining for a while that his back was hurting to be exposed to air, so he only ever took his shirt off in the shower, much to Lance’s lament. Keith didn’t know exactly why it was hurting, but it was getting worse by the day. Neither of them spoke of the fear that haunted them of what that might mean.

            “Hey! Lovebirds!” Pidge’s voice snapped them right out of it, watching both them and Allura walk up to them, lovely white curls flowing in the wind. “Hunk’s run out of lighter fluid. Keith, would you be willing to light up those babies for us? Hunk says it’ll take too long to go and grab some himself.”

            Keith smiled a little bit painfully. Since his panic attack in early January, he hadn’t shifted to his other form at all, and because of his pains he wasn’t able to light fire in his human shape. “I-uh, I don’t know. I can’t really do it in this form right now. I’ll try, though.” He stood up, and Lance noticed the way that where Keith’s scars were, his skin was slightly bulging out, and it just looked way too uncomfortable to do anything really. But he too got up and followed the three down to where Hunk and Shay were, people yelling about the fireworks and complaining.

            Hunk immediately brightened as he saw Keith. “Ah! Here he is! Keith!” He waved all four of them over and the crowd parted, making room. Keith’s breathing didn’t seem to get any better. Instead, it seemed to get worse, one eye shut in pain. “Can you light these for me?!? I can’t find my lighter fluid.” Hunk was clearly in distress, judging by the way that he tangled his fingers into the fabric of his shirt, and Keith wouldn’t ever abandon their yellow obsessed friend.

            “Yeah.” He grunted. “I’ll give it a try.” He clenched his fist, trying to will the fire into his hand, but it refused, and he took a breath, trying to focus a little bit more. Hunk and everyone was watching him very carefully as he strained and strained until he had to stop, a tiny little spark poofing out of existence in his hand. “Sorry.” He tried to get out, but in a sudden movement, he fell onto one knee with a shout of pain, his back stretching and moving in a way that had Hunk hurling over to the side. Lance immediately rushed over to where Keith was clutching his head and panting in pain, eyes wide with stress. “It-It hurts.” He managed to pant out. “I can’t-” There was suddenly the sound of ripping flesh, and Keith fell to his side as giant black wings ripped out of his skin, knocking Keith out completely. People screamed and scattered until Allura rushed over with a strange man with orange hair.

            “This is Coran.” She rushed to say as Lance already was panicking. “He’s a professor here and he can help. You have to let him get Keith to the Apollo infirmary.” Lance shakily nodded and soon Keith was being rushed away, new wings covered in goo and blood, body twitching. Lance suddenly found that his legs were too weak to hold him up, but Hunk made sure that he got to bed safe, even though he wasn’t really responding.

            The next day Lance rushed over to the Apollo infirmary, seeing Keith on his stomach with wings stretched out to his side had only two thoughts coming to his head. One. Was Keith okay? And Two. How the _fuck_ were they gonna spoon like this?

 

** August 20th, Keith’s birthday. **

            As it turns out, spooning wasn’t that hard as Keith’s wings could fold onto his back, and weren’t nearly as large out in the open as he thought they would be. So it gave him the perfect excuse to take a photo of Keith curled on his side one night, wings stretched out to let them breathe a bit before disappearing down the stairs to get everything prepared.

            A few hours later, Keith came down the stairs in Lance’s shirt and black boxers, nearly jumping out of his skin when the entire kitchen suddenly exploded with people yelling ‘SURPRISE!!!’. Confetti was everywhere, and Keith startled so hard his wings snapped out and knocked over a lamp, making it shatter on the ground. Everyone went silent before Pidge peeked their head out, clapping a hand over their mouth to hide a snicker before saying, “Dude, you puffed up your hair.” And it was true, Keith looked like a frightened bird. There was a small amount of laughter as Lance swayed over to where Keith was crossing his arms and pouting. “Happy birthday, My crazy lizard.” He mumbled before leaning in and kissing Keith straight on the lips, hearing his sigh as he reciprocated, wrapping his wings around the both of them and kissing the life out of the taller male. There was a chorus of cheers and groans before they pulled away, and Lance could barely hear Keith mutter something with lidded eyes and a tiny smile.

            “Je’taime, mon chou.”

            Lance pulled away, quirking an eyebrow. “Mon chou? Je’taime? What do those things mean?”

            Keith flushed and looked away. “Nothing. Now come on. I wanna eat cake.”

            Lance whined in protest but quickly forgot it, laughing with their friends and playing stupid board games Keith couldn’t care less for. But he did so, if just to see the smile on the cuban’s face.

            “Je’taime, mon chou.” He mumbled to himself, smiling.

**Hallow’s Eve**

            Keith knew that candy was a poison. Even more so as he saw Lance practically bouncing off of the walls with such an insane sugar high that Keith was genuinely alarmed. “HEEEY, DRAGON BOY!” Lance screeched, and Keith almost yelled as Lance launched himself at him, barely able to catch the lanky male before he hurt himself. His breath tasted like sugary alcohol as he dived in for a kiss Keith was fully unprepared for. Hunk was dressed as a witch, Pidge as a robot, Allura as Cleopatra, and Lance was… Lance was a goldfish.

            Apparently he said it out loud because Lance yelled “A sexy goldfish!” Right into his ear, making him hiss. Lance gasped. “Maybe you could be a snake? Hiss hiss!”

            Keith grimaced at the implications before a sudden memory assaulted his mind. _Hands on his thighs, bruising, blood, somebody pulling his hair-_

            “Keith?” Lance’s face was in his and Keith nearly stumbled away, wings crashing into the coat hanger and making him hiss in pain. “Oh crap, I’m sorry, Keith. I totally forgot about the nickname.” Lance’s hands were soon on his cheeks, kissing his nose and his eyelids and his forehead as he straddled the dragon. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”

            “It’s-” Keith swallowed loudly. “It’s fine. I’m okay.” Even though his hands were shaking he wrapped them around Lance, holding him tight. “It’s fine. I’m okay now.”

            Lance kissed Keith’s hair before stepping away, holding a hand out to pull Keith up, which he accepted. “I think you’d be a cuter kitty cat anyway.”

            And, as it turned out, he did.

 

** Yule **

            Lance and Keith were on edge. It had been a year since they lost Shiro. They learned how to survive without him, to become each other’s strongholds, and now that they were finally put together, Lotor stood in front of them, smiling brightly. “You two look well.” He smiled. Keith shuffled a little bit but kept his gaze on the god in front of them. Keith’s hair was in a bun, while Lance’s was a cropped curly mess. They seemed to gravitate towards each other now, as Keith’s wing stretched out behind Lance almost protectively. Lotor raised an eyebrow. “Are you two ready?”

            “Yes.” Lance said immediately, and Keith nodded harshly. Lotor smiled.

            “I’ll be right back.” The earth seemed to shift and waver before Lotor disappeared into the ground, Keith’s heart pounding in fear and anxiety.

            “Hey.” Lance murmured softly, rubbing a hand over Keith’s lower back. “He can’t trick us. I made him promise on the river.”

            Keith nodded, but still looked anxious, watching the ground at which the god disappeared. The sun hardly peaked at all during their wait, and it was at least a couple of hours before something in the ground shifted. Keith stood up so fast that Lance fell off of his shoulder and onto the ground with a noise of complaint before realizing what Keith heard. He scrambled up too and his eyes widened as suddenly the air around them wavered, and a man stepped out. His hair was streaked with more white than they could remember, and scars littered his scarcely covered body, but when silver eyes opened to narrow in on them, Takashi Shirogane sobbed out a sigh of relief, reaching out with his only hand to pull them close with a wet laugh. “It’s you two.” He breathed, Lance squeezing him so tightly that it almost felt like he was sobbing through his own breath as well. Snow danced down from the sky as Keith wrapped his wings around the three of them as best he could, protecting Shiro from the snow. “It’s quiet.” Shiro managed to rasp out. “How peaceful.”

            Lance lifted Shiro’s head and kissed him so softly on the mouth that Shiro trembled just a little bit more, all of his weight being supported by the two in front of him. “We’re here. You’re here.” Lance swallowed weakly. “We’re here to help you.”

            “It’s…It’s good to have you back.” Keith managed to mumble, and Shiro looked down at Keith’s messy hair before laughing.

            “It’s good to be back.”

            “Let’s get you inside.” Lance mumbled quietly, slowly heaving Shiro onto his side and taking him in. Keith lingered for a little moment, watching Lotor stare at Shiro with a sense of… familiarity.

            “You’re not Morpheus, are you?” Keith asked calmly. Lotor blinked at him. “Morpheus wouldn’t dabble in the affairs of mortals or demigods like this.”

            Lotor’s blank stare wavered for a little bit before letting a smile take over. “I am Morpheus. But I am also Lotor. It’s just like what happened to you. I am still a god, but I have a mortal’s memories and emotions. And Lotor knew that this was what must be done. To pay for his crimes and be able to ascend to wherever the gods will take him.” Lotor smiled as his skin began to flake off into the air, watching them disappear into nothingness. Shining light was underneath, and Keith looked away as Morpheus took back his godly form. “The debt is paid. Help Shiro live a good life, Keith.” And then he was gone.

            Soon enough, everyone who knew Shiro would want to talk to him again, to see what it was like. And Shiro, Shiro wouldn’t be able to remember any of it. A final gift and curse from the god of Dreams. He would wake up in panics, screaming sometimes and thrashing in others. His struggles would be hard to conquer, but he would get back on his feet, he would win back his title as praetor. He would rise again, and Lance and Keith would be there every step of the way.

            Just as it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¿Qué estás haciendo, lagarto loco?- What are you doing, you crazy lizard?  
> Lagarto- Lizard  
> Oh Mierda- Oh Shit  
> Je'taime, mon chou. - I love you, my sweet bun.


End file.
